South Dakota Highway 127

Highway 127
Map      SD 127
Route information
Defined by SDCL §31-4-193
Maintained by SDDOT
Length	37.328 mi (60.074 km)
Existed	1980–present
Major junctions
South end	SD 10 in Sisseton
Major intersections	I-29 / US 81 in Lien Township
North end	ND 127 at South Dakota-North Dakota state line
Location
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Counties	Roberts
Highway system
South Dakota State Trunk Highway System Interstate US State
← SD 123 → SD 130

South Dakota Highway 127 (SD 127) is a state highway in northeastern South Dakota that runs from SD 10 in Sisseton to the North Dakota state line northwest of White Rock, where it continues north as North Dakota Highway 127 (ND 127). It was commissioned around 1980.

Route description

The southern terminus of SD 127 is in the eastern outskirts of Sisseton, in the Lake Traverse Reservation, at an intersection with SD 10, the city's primary east-west thoroughfare. A gravel road, 459th Avenue, extends south of this intersection as a continuation of the SD 127 roadway. SD 127 itself heads north as a paved, two-lane road. It serves a light industrial zone before leaving Sisseton and entering rural Roberts County. About one mile (1.6 km) north of the city, the route juts slightly to the east as it crosses an unnamed creek. Continuing north, SD 127 traverses flat farm fields for about 12 miles (19 km) before reaching an intersection with the eastern terminus of SD 106. At this intersection, SD 106 heads west toward Claire City, County Road 14 (CR 14) continues north to the unincorporated community of Hammer, and SD 127 turns due east.

SD 127 travels east through more flat farm fields for about two miles (3.2 km) and then crosses an unnamed glacial lake. The terrain becomes hillier as the route approaches New Effington, which it bypasses to the south about three miles (4.8 km) east of the lake. Then, approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of New Effington, SD 127 intersects Interstate 29 and U.S. Route 81 at a diamond interchange. It curves to the northeast as it passes under the freeway, continuing in this direction for about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) as it parallels the Sunflour Railroad and steers north of Cottonwood Lake before resuming its due eastward trajectory. Five miles (8.0 km) east of Cottonwood Lake, SD 127 serves the town of Rosholt. The roadway is known as Dakota Street within town limits.

Upon returning to the flat farm fields of rural Roberts County, SD 127 travels another five miles (8.0 km) east before suddenly curving due north about 2.6 miles (4.2 km) west of the Bois de Sioux River, which doubles as the Minnesota state line. The route continues north for just under three miles (4.8 km), then winds slightly to the northeast to bypass the census-designated place of White Rock Colony, a Hutterite colony with no permanent population as of the 2020 census. Along the northern edge of the colony, SD 127 bends back to the north, exiting the Lake Traverse Reservation in the process. The route heads north through rural Roberts County for another 1.5 miles (2.4 km), passing west of the town of White Rock before reaching the North Dakota state line. North of the state line, the roadway continues toward Wahpeton as ND 127.

History

The route that is currently SD 127 was established in 1926 as part of U.S. Highway 81, the Meridian Highway. In 1980, construction of the segment of Interstate 29 was completed north of exit 246, and U.S. 81 was rerouted from this point northward into North Dakota. The old route from I-29 to the North Dakota border near White Rock was designated as South Dakota Highway 127.

In 1984, when construction of I-29 between Peever and New Effington was completed, this segment of U.S. 81 was also routed onto it, and South Dakota 127 was extended along its former alignment, to South Dakota Highway 10 east of Sisseton.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Roberts County.

Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Sisseton	0.000	0.000	SD 10 – I-29, Browns Valley
Minnesota Township	13.324	21.443	SD 106 east – Claire City, Veblen
Lien Township	20.560	33.088	I-29 / US 81 – Sisseton, Hankinson
White Rock Township	37.328	60.074	ND 127 north – Fairmount, Wahpeton	Continuation into North Dakota
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi