 Highway 44 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Route (in red) of SD 44 | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained bySDDOT | ||||
| Length | 379.022 mi[1][2][3] (609.977 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US 385 nearRapid City | |||
| Major intersections |  I-190 in Rapid City US 16 in Rapid City US 83 nearWhite River US 183 nearWitten US 18 nearJordan Junction US 281 nearCorsica | |||
| East end |  I-29 nearWorthing | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | South Dakota | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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South Dakota Highway 44 (SD 44) is astate highway in southernSouth Dakota that runs fromU.S. Route 385 (US 385) west ofRapid City toInterstate 29 (I-29) south ofSioux Falls. It is just more than 379 miles (610 km) long.
SD 44 begins at a junction with US 385 and heads along a curvy road in a general southeasterly direction through theBlack Hills National Forest. It curves to the east and leaves the forest, then bends back to the southeast and clips the northeastern corner of the forest before leaving it permanently and enteringRapid City, where it is known as Jackson Boulevard. In the western outskirts of Rapid City, the highway curves to the northeast and passes north of Canyon Lake before crossingRapid Creek. The road passes near several city parks before turning due north onto Mountain View Road and crossing Main Street, which holds theInterstate 90 Business (I-90 Bus.) designation. A block north of here, SD 44 turns east onto Omaha Street and splits into a four-lane highway. It continues in that direction and intersects the southern terminus ofI-190, as well asUS 16.[4]
SD 44 and US 16 trek southeast for a short distance before US 16 splits off onto Mt Rushmore Road to the south and SD 44 continues heading southeast along Omaha Street. It crosses theDakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad[5] and then intersects I-90 Bus. again. East of this intersection, SD 44 is reduced to two lanes. It crosses Rapid Creek again, then turns southeast and shares afolded diamond interchange withUS 16 Truck andSD 79. Southeast of here, the highway leaves Rapid City and entersunincorporatedRapid Valley. The road parallels a railroad owned by the state of South Dakota as it leaves Rapid Valley and passes just south of theRapid City Regional Airport.[4]
After departing from the Rapid City area, SD 44 continues southeast and heads through the unincorporated community ofCaputa. It crosses Rapid Creek a third and final time, and then curves to the south and crosses theCheyenne River. South of the river, SD 44 entersBadlands National Park and bends to the east. The road continues east through the hills and plateaus of the Badlands, leavingPennington County and enteringJackson County in the process. East of the county line, the highway bends to the northeast and entersInterior, where it meets the southern terminus ofSD 377. SD 44 then leaves Interior and turns back to the east, and then to the south, leaving Badlands National Park and entering thePine Ridge Indian Reservation by crossing theWhite River.[4]
The highway continues due south through the reservation and then turns easterly. It curves to the north and goes throughWanblee before turning back to the east and intersectingSD 73. SD 44 treks east through rolling hills before crossing intoMellette County and leaving the reservation. Just east of the county line, the highway meetsSD 63. It continues running east and crosses theLittle White River before intersectingUS 83 on the western edge of the city ofWhite River, the county seat of Mellette County. The two highways run south for about two miles (3.2 km) before SD 44 splits off to the east.[4]
East of US 83, SD 44 runs southeast through more rolling hills and journeys throughWood. East of Wood, the highway meetsSD 53, and it and SD 53 run east, dipping southeast and crossing intoTripp County. In Tripp County, the highways turn south and then back to the east, forming the northern limit ofWitten. East of Witten, SD 44 and SD 53 intersectUS 183, and the three routes run south for about four miles (6.4 km) before meetingUS 18. At this intersection, SD 53 splits to the west, while SD 44 turns east with US 18 and US 183.[4]
The three routes run east towardWinner and enter the city from the northwest. In Winner, SD 44 breaks off from US 18 and US 183 and goes east, leaving the city. The road intersectsSD 49 before leaving Tripp County forGregory County. Just east of the county line liesSD 47, which SD 44 intersects and then heads farther east. The road starts to become more winding and hilly as it nears theMissouri River andLake Francis Case. It intersectsSD 1806 and then curves to the northeast and crosses the river intoCharles Mix County.[4]
East of the Missouri River, SD 44 is a much flatter road. It meetsSD 50 and heads east concurrent with the route. About two miles (3.2 km) east of this intersection, the highways meetSD 1804, then continue east towardPlatte. In Platte, they meet the southern terminus ofSD 45. After leaving the city, SD 44 and SD 50 run together until theDouglas county line, where SD 50 turns south while SD 44 continues east into Douglas County.[4]
In Douglas County, SD 44 heads east for about 15 miles (24 km) before it arrives at a junction withUS 281 south ofCorsica. It and US 281 run concurrent to the east for about three miles (4.8 km) before US 281 curves to the south and leaves SD 44, which runs east for about 12 miles (19 km) before enteringHutchinson County. Then, SD 44 reachesParkston and intersectsSD 37.[4]
East of SD 37, SD 44 continues east, then curves slightly to the north and crosses theJames River. East of the river, the highway crossesUS 81 about one mile (1.6 km) before crossing intoTurner County. In Turner County, SD 44 crosses theBNSF Railway[5] and then the west fork of theVermillion River. The route entersParker and crosses the river again, then meetsSD 19.[4]
SD 44 and SD 19 run southeast together and leave Parker, then cross the BNSF Railway again. Later, SD 19 continues to run south and SD 44 turns to the east and passes over the east fork of the Vermillion River. Farther to the east, the highway entersChancellor, where it bends in a southeasterly direction. It continues in this direction until it reaches theLincoln county line, where it curves farther to the southeast towardLennox.[4]
The route enters the city and turns to the east toward a junction with the southern terminusSD 17. At the SD 17 intersection, SD 44 turns due south and leaves Lennox. It treks in this direction for about one mile (1.6 km) before turning to the east. The highway runs east through rural Lincoln County for about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) before coming to its eastern terminus, adiamond interchange atI-29.[4]
| County | Location | mi[1][2][3] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennington | | 0.000 | 0.000 | US 385 –Deadwood,Lead,Custer | Western terminus |
| Rapid City | 16.982 | 27.330 |  I-90 BL (West Main Street) | ||
| 18.180 | 29.258 |     I-190 north /US 16 west toI-90 | Southern terminus of I-190, western end of US 16 concurrency | ||
| 18.378 | 29.577 |  US 16 east (Mt Rushmore Road) – Mount Rushmore | Eastern end of US 16 concurrency | ||
| 18.912 | 30.436 | I-90 BL (East Boulevard) | |||
| 21.835– 22.091 | 35.140– 35.552 |   US 16 Truck /SD 79 toI-90 –Hot Springs | Folded diamond interchange | ||
| Jackson | Interior | 91.505 | 147.263 |   SD 377 north – Badlands National Park | Southern terminus of SD 377 |
| | 127.270 | 204.821 |  SD 73 –Martin,Kadoka | ||
| Mellette | | 143.480 | 230.909 |  SD 63 –Norris,Belvidere | |
| White River | 166.469 | 267.906 |  US 83 north –Murdo | Northern end of US 83 concurrency | |
| | 168.780 | 271.625 |  US 83 south –Mission | Southern end of US 83 concurrency | |
| | 188.158 | 302.811 |  SD 53 north toI-90 | Western end of SD 53 concurrency | |
| Tripp | | 207.897 | 334.578 | US 183 north –Presho | Western end of US 183 concurrency |
| | 211.890 | 341.004 |  US 18 west /SD 53 south –Mission | Western end of US 18 concurrency, eastern end of SD 53 concurrency | |
| Winner | 221.206 | 355.997 | US 18 east /US 183 south –Colome | Eastern end of US 18/US 183 concurrency | |
| | 229.245 | 368.934 |  SD 49 –Colome,Hamill | ||
| Gregory | | 241.599 | 388.816 |  SD 47 toI-90 –Gregory | |
| | 255.017 | 410.410 |  SD 1806 south | ||
| Charles Mix | | 262.892 | 423.084 |   SD 50 west –Academy | Western end of SD 50 concurrency |
| | 264.980 | 426.444 |  SD 1804 south | ||
| Platte | 272.976 | 439.312 |  SD 45 north | Southern terminus of SD 45 | |
| | 279.905 | 450.463 |  SD 50 east –Geddes | Eastern end of SD 50 concurrency | |
| Douglas | | 295.000 | 474.756 | US 281 north | Western end of US 281 concurrency |
| | 297.981 | 479.554 | US 281 south | Eastern end of US 281 concurrency | |
| Hutchinson | Parkston | 315.740 | 508.134 |  SD 37 | |
| | 345.035 | 555.280 |  US 81 | ||
| Turner | Parker | 360.082 | 579.496 |  SD 19 north | Western end of SD 19 concurrency |
| | 362.977 | 584.155 | SD 19 south | Eastern end of SD 19 concurrency | |
| Lincoln | Lennox | 373.468 | 601.038 |  SD 17 north | Southern terminus of SD 17 |
| | 378.914– 379.022 | 609.803– 609.977 | I-29 –Sioux Falls,Sioux City, IA | I-29 exit 64; eastern terminus. | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Media related toSouth Dakota Highway 44 at Wikimedia Commons
