Work begins on spendiest bridge project in South Dakota history

State and federal officials on Thursday heralded the start of a yearslong, $290 million project to replace the “vital lifeline” that is South Dakota’s longest bridge.

State Highway 44’s Platte-Winner Bridge, which opened in 1966, is more than a mile long and crosses the Missouri River in the southeastern part of the state. The new bridge will be 115 feet longer, built just to the north of the existing bridge, which will remain open through the anticipated June 2030 completion date for the new crossing. Removal of the old bridge is scheduled to run through November 2031.

The new bridge is the most expensive undertaking in South Dakota Department of Transportation history, Secretary Joel Jundt told the state’s Transportation Commission two months ago.

On Thursday, Gov. Larry Rhoden spoke at the groundbreaking, alongside South Dakota’s U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson and its senators, John Thune and Mike Rounds.

State commission accepts $290 million bid for Platte-Winner Bridge, $40 million above estimate

The new bridge, with its anticipated 100-year service life, “is a responsible investment in South Dakota’s transportation infrastructure,” the governor said in a press release about the event.

Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster was also on hand for the groundbreaking. The federal government has pitched in $65 million for the project through the Federal Highway Administration Competitive Highway Bridge Program grant, and the state’s congressional delegation secured another $25 million in federal funds.

“For rural communities across south-central South Dakota, this Missouri River crossing is a vital lifeline that keeps supply chains moving, connects local producers to markets, and ensures families can safely reach key recreational areas,” McMaster said in the Rhoden press release, in which McMaster pointed to the project as evidence that President Donald Trump’s administration is “putting federal dollars to work to rebuild America’s infrastructure.”

Other federal grant applications for the project were pending as of August, when Jundt spoke about the project to the Transportation Commission. Those applications were still pending as of Thursday, Department spokeswoman Julie Stevenson told South Dakota Searchlight.

Burnsville, Minnesota-based Ames Construction got the contract for the bridge work through a bid $39.25 million higher than the state’s estimate.

The estimate came in high based on complexities of building in deep water, specialized equipment, the bridge’s size, market conditions and the remote location, which creates logistical costs, Jundt said in August.