Government, Transportation

Bridge Improvement Grant (BIG) Recipients Announced by Transportation Commission

Union County receives grants for four bridge projects

Bridge in Union County just west of Alcester. The structure was probably built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as it bears a date on top of 1933. The WPA was a program of the New Deal that supplied jobs to the unemployed during the Great Depression while building up the public infrastructure of the U.S. such as parks, schools and roads. The WPA built a lot of bridges throughout southeastern South Dakota. Turner County is noted for the number of WPA bridges it still has standing with 150 still in use. By the way, this isn’t one of the bridges slated for preliminary engineering. (Photo by Gary Dickson)

The South Dakota Transportation Commission awarded 35 preliminary engineering Bridge Improvement Grants (BIG) totaling approximately $1.8 million at the commission meeting held in Pierre today, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. The goal of the grant process is to enhance the overall condition of critical assets that South Dakotans are dependent upon each and every day. These structures provide the link that drives the interconnectedness of the state’s overall transportation system while enhancing statewide economic development.

“Today the South Dakota Transportation Commission reinforced their commitment to improving the efficiency, safety, and access of the transportation system throughout our state,” said Joel Jundt, Secretary of Transportation. “The BIG program continues to be vital for the necessary preservation, rehabilitation, and replacement of local government structures, and the SDDOT commends the Transportation Commission for their continued commitment to provide state funding for this critical local government program.”

BIG Recipients:

County recipients with number of projects receiving grants in parenthesis: Aurora (1), Bon Homme (1), Brookings (4), Buffalo (1), Butte (1), Codington (4), Douglas (1), Edmunds (2), Grant (2), Hanson (1), Hutchinson (1), Kingsbury (1), Lawrence (1), Meade (1), Minnehaha (2), Roberts (1), Sanborn (1), Sully (3), Tripp (2), and Union (4).

Forty applications, totaling $2.8 million in total project costs, were received by the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT). In total, 21 counties submitted applications. In order to be eligible for a BIG grant, a county must impose a wheel tax. In addition, a county must have a County Highway and Bridge Improvement Plan to detail proposed county highway and bridge improvement projects within the county over the next five years.

Each year, $7 million is dedicated from license plate fees and non-commercial vehicle fees. In addition, SDDOT annually sets aside $8 million per year of state highway funds, to make a total of $15 million available for BIG. To date, including the awards noted above, $165 million in BIG funds have been awarded.

Union County’s projects

Listed below are the bridge projects in Union County that were approved for preliminary engineering. They are listed by structure number, location, total project cost and the grant amount (rounded to the nearest hundred).

  • Structure number 64-032-070. Located 6 mi. S & 1.2 mi. E of Beresford on 304th St. over a creek. $120,270; $84,200.
  • Structure number 64-070-250. Located 1 mi. E & 2 mi. N of Elk Point on 477th Ave. over Lewis Ditch. $120,270; $84.200.
  • Structure number 64-096-150. Located 11.5 mi. S & 0.6 mi. E of Alcester on 312th St. over West Union Creek. $120,270; $84,200.
  • Structure number 64-103-130. Located 8.5 mi. S & 1.3 mi. E of Alcester on 310th St. over East Union Creek. $120,270; $84,200.

The total grant amount awarded to Union County for 2025 was $336,800.


Application Deadline:
Applications for the next round of the BIG program are due Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, for the Preservation (PR) and Rehabilitation/Replacement (RE) categories.

Contact:
For more information regarding the BIG program, contact Doug Kinniburgh at 605-773-4284 or visit https://dot.sd.gov/doing-business/local-governments/bridge-improvement-grants.

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