South Dakota State Highway 240
Encyclopedia
South Dakota State Highway 240, the "Badlands Loop", is located in southeast Pennington
and northwest Jackson
Counties of southwestern South Dakota
. It runs through the eastern portion of the Badlands National Park
.
South Dakota 240 begins in Wall
at Exit 108 of Interstate 90
. It follows the Interstate 90 business loop along Airport Rd. and South Blvd. in Wall, and crosses Interstate 90 again at exit 109. From this point, it travels south to Badlands National Park, where it turns southeast. At the Badlands Headquarters at Cedar Pass, South Dakota 240 turns northeast, ending at Interstate 90 Exit 131 (Cactus Flat).
The total length of South Dakota 240 is 40 miles (65 km). Because South Dakota 240 enters a national park, there is an entrance fee at either side of the park. The fee is $10 per passenger vehicle, good for 7 days.
(which entered the park from the southeast rather than the northeast).
Around 1980, U.S. Highway 16 (which ran concurrently with Interstate 90) was truncated at its eastern end to Rapid City. Since the "Alternate" U.S. 16 no longer met the parent route, the route number was changed to South Dakota 240.
Pennington County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 88,565 people, 34,641 households, and 23,278 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile . There were 37,249 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
and northwest Jackson
Jackson County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,930 people, 945 households, and 675 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile . There were 1,173 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile...
Counties of southwestern South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. It runs through the eastern portion of the Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park
Badlands National Park, in southwest South Dakota, United States preserves of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in the United States....
.
South Dakota 240 begins in Wall
Wall, South Dakota
Wall is a town in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 766 at the 2010 census...
at Exit 108 of Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
. It follows the Interstate 90 business loop along Airport Rd. and South Blvd. in Wall, and crosses Interstate 90 again at exit 109. From this point, it travels south to Badlands National Park, where it turns southeast. At the Badlands Headquarters at Cedar Pass, South Dakota 240 turns northeast, ending at Interstate 90 Exit 131 (Cactus Flat).
The total length of South Dakota 240 is 40 miles (65 km). Because South Dakota 240 enters a national park, there is an entrance fee at either side of the park. The fee is $10 per passenger vehicle, good for 7 days.
History
Eastern portions of the route that are currently South Dakota 240 (generally from the park headquarters to Cactus Flat) were originally part of the original alignment of South Dakota State Highway 40. Construction began in the early 1930s. By 1944, a gravel surface was on Badlands Loop alignment, and by the late 1940s, the Badlands Loop was signed as U.S. Highway 16 Alternate (as well as South Dakota 40 along the eastern portion of the Loop). These two numbers were used until the early 1970s, when the South Dakota 40 number was replaced by an extension of South Dakota State Highway 44South Dakota State Highway 44
South Dakota Highway 44, formerly known as South Dakota State Highway 40, is also known as the "Rimrock Highway" or "Rimrock Drive" and connects Rapid City, South Dakota with U.S. Highway 385 at Pactola Junction, just north of Pactola Lake...
(which entered the park from the southeast rather than the northeast).
Around 1980, U.S. Highway 16 (which ran concurrently with Interstate 90) was truncated at its eastern end to Rapid City. Since the "Alternate" U.S. 16 no longer met the parent route, the route number was changed to South Dakota 240.