U.S. Route 83 in South Dakota

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 83 in South Dakota. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 83.

U.S. Highway 83
US 83 highlighted in red
Route information
Defined by SDCL §31-4-%section%
Maintained by SDDOT
Length	240.36 mi (386.82 km)
Existed	1926–present
Major junctions
South end	US 83 near Olsonville
Major intersections	US 18 in Mission I-90 from Murdo to Vivian US 14 from Fort Pierre to Blunt US 212 near Gettysburg US 12 near Selby
North end	US 83 near Herreid
Location
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Counties	Todd, Mellette, Jones, Stanley, Hughes, Sully, Potter, Walworth, Campbell
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided South Dakota State Trunk Highway System Interstate US State
← US 81 → US 85

U.S. Highway 83 is part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from the Mexican border in Brownsville, Texas, to the Canadian border near Westhope, North Dakota. In the U.S. state of South Dakota, it runs from Olsonville to Herreid by way of Mission, Murdo, and Gettysburg. The route also runs through the capital Pierre as well as its suburb Fort Pierre.

Route description

Southbound US 83 in Fort Pierre

US 83 enters South Dakota just south of Olsonville, into Todd County, where it also enters the Rosebud Indian Reservation. It passes through extremely deserted grassland without any sort of development on the road. After a couple of miles, it reaches Mission, where it meets US 18 (Second Street). Here, US 83 turns left on to US 18 and the two routes begin a rather short concurrency lasting for approximately 3 miles (4.8 km). Through Mission, US 18/83 passes through generally moderate development and businesses along the road, before the route begins to become rural once again after exiting Mission.

US 83 splits off from US 18 and turns northward, while US 18 continues west. US 83 continues north through dry, sandy plains with no development once again. It passes several cemeteries, as well as a church, and later the Horse Creek Community Center. After passing the community center, South Dakota Highway 44 (SD 44) intersects US 83 and enters a concurrency with it. In White River, SD 44 leaves US 83. US 83 passes through grassy farmland and crosses the Little White River on a bridge. Shortly after that, it enters Mellette County. US 83 then crosses the main branch of the White River and reaches the unincorporated community of Westover. It continues to go through sparse development. Just outside of Murdo, the hills become more flat as US 83 passes by the Murdo Municipal Airport. The development increases when US 83 reaches Murdo and passes by a dam and another cemetery. In Murdo, it meets I-90 and turns right on to the interstate, forming one of its few concurrencies with an interstate highway. Meanwhile one of I-90's business routes continues into downtown Murdo.

As US 83 enters its concurrency with I-90, they pass through several grassy and sandy farmland with very little development along the road. They also parallel a road to the north of them which several of the exits are signed for. At exit 212 in Vivian, US 83 leaves I-90 and intersects the northern terminus of a northern segment of SD 53. US 83 then heads north along an unsigned business route of I-90, passing a gas station and weigh station. It then passes through more rural farmland with only slight development along the road.

It then enters Stanley County and development increases a bit, though still sparse, reaching Fort Pierre. US 83 increases to four lanes and heads along the streets of the city, meeting US 14. It turns slightly northeast while US 14 turns left, beginning a concurrency as the two routes cross the Missouri River and enter Hughes County where they also reach the city limits of Pierre, one of the few state capitals not served by any Interstate Highway.

In Pierre, the routes keep four lanes while passing through rather large development such as hotels, restaurants, and businesses. After about a couple of blocks, the two routes make several awkward turns to exit Pierre; they turn north on to Pierre Street, east on Pleasant Avenue, and north again on Euclid Avenue, while their truck routes continue through the city. After exiting Pierre, the two routes head through somewhat suburban development but expand the road. The lanes remain the same while the median becomes larger, being grass-lined.

The Missouri River Bridge in Pierre

Near Blunt, US 83 turns north, leaving US 14. It enters Sully County, passing through a mix of grassy and sandy farmland with a sprinkle of development near Onida. It also passes through Agar and Gorman before entering Potter County and meeting US 212 near Gettysburg. US 212 merges on to US 83 to form a very short concurrency before US 83 leaves US 212 by turning north to avoid the main district.

Another couple miles pass by before US 83 meets its next concurrency, SD 20. The two routes stay concurrent for a while, before they enter Walworth County and pick up another concurrency, this time with US 12. The three routes make their way to downtown Selby with more industrial businesses and shops lining the road. After exiting Selby, US 83 departs the concurrency by turning north one last time.

US 83 then treks its way, passing through more grassy fields as well as a few marshes being dotted along the side as it enters its final county in the state, Campbell County. The last stretches of development along its route are Mound City and Herreid before US 83 enters North Dakota at Emmons County.

The South Dakota section of US 83 is legally defined at South Dakota Codified Laws § 31-4-180.

Including the Rosebud Indian Reservation, several scenic sites can be found along US 83's route in the state.

History

Historically, US 83 did not exist in South Dakota. When it was first established in 1926, it initially ran from the Canadian border to the South Dakota state line. Later on, US 83 was extended to Pierre. South of Pierre, US 83 followed an old route that went further east; this route is now present day US 183. During the Great Depression, the road progress was very slow to complete, but was eventually finished a couple years later.

A portion of US 83 also runs on the Native American Scenic Byway. The route for its entire length is also known as the "Road to Nowhere."

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Todd	​	0.0	0.0		US 83 south – Valentine	Continuation into Nebraska
	Mission	22.1	35.6		US 18 east (2nd Street) – Winner	Southern end of US 18 overlap
	​	25.2	40.6		US 18 west – Rosebud, Martin	Northern end of US 18 overlap
Mellette	​	41.4	66.6		SD 44 east – Wood	Southern end of SD 44 overlap
	White River	43.8	70.5		SD 44 west – Cedar Butte	Northern end of SD 44 overlap
Jones	Murdo	67.3	108.3	192	I-90 west / I-90 BL west – Belvidere, Murdo	Southern end of I-90 overlap
	Draper	75.3	121.2	201	Draper
	Mussman Township	82.4	132.6	208	No name exit	County road S10
	​	87.3	140.5		I-90 east / I-90 BL west / SD 53 south to SD 44 – Presho	Northern end of I-90 overlap; northern terminus of SD 53; southern end of unsigned I-90 BL overlap; I-90 exit 212
	​	88.1	141.8		I-90 BL east	Northern end of unsigned I-90 BL overlap
Stanley	Fort Pierre	117.4	188.9		SD 1806 south	Southern end of SD 1806 overlap
		120.6	194.1		US 14 / SD 34 west / SD 1806 north (Yellowstone Street)	Southern end of US 14/SD 34 overlap; northern end of SD 1806 overlap
Missouri River		120.9	194.6	Missouri River Bridge
Hughes	Pierre	121.2	195.1		US 14 Truck east / US 83 Truck north / SD 34 east (Sioux Avenue)	Northern end of SD 34 overlap
		124.5	200.4		US 14 Truck west / US 83 Truck south (Garfield Avenue)
	Blunt	139.5	224.5		US 14 east – Huron	Northern end of US 14 overlap
Sully	No major intersections
Potter	Gettysburg	174.1	280.2		US 212 west – Eagle Butte	Southern end of US 212 overlap
		175.3	282.1		US 212 east – Gettysburg	Northern end of US 212 concurrency
Walworth	​	191.8	308.7		SD 20 east – Hoven	Southern end of SD 20 overlap
	Selby	206.3	332.0		US 12 east – Ipswich	Southern end of US 12 overlap
		212.8	342.5		US 12 / SD 20 west – Mobridge	Northern end of US 12/SD 20 overlap
Campbell	​	228.1	367.1		SD 10 east – Eureka	Southern end of SD 10 overlap
	Herreid	238.4	383.7		SD 10 west – Pollock	Northern end of SD 10 overlap
		240.36	386.82		US 83 north – Linton	Continuation into North Dakota
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus