SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The fiscal year 2025 highlights for the South Dakota Department of Transporation included a major bridge project across the Missouri River and several highway projects in districts around the state.

The SDDOT opened the new John C. Waldron Memorial Bridge in March which culminated a multi-year $50 million project. The bridge connects Fort Pierre and Pierre.

More bridge work is coming as Mike Behm, the director of planning engineering said in the FY25 report, “With five major Missouri River Bridges planned in the next 10 to 15 years, our focus must remain sharp.”

In total, the SDDOT said in its FY25 report that $1.13 billion was invested in the state. That includes $861.44 million in highway construction including bridge improvement grant projects.

As inflation and costs increase, maintaining a reasonable budget is challenging, Craig Smith, the operations director for the SDDOT, said in a KELOLAND News interview.

“Inflation is a thing to monitor, and funding is always a concern, ” Smith said. “When you think about a highway system that’s 8,000 miles of state highways it does take a lot of resources to manage that. Not just to do the maintenance but obviously the construction.”

“We’ve got a lot of needs out there,” he said. The DOT priorities projects based on need, safety, road conditions, and other factors, Smith said.

Some of the FY25 investment went toward a drainage improvement project on South Dakota Highway 28 to South Dakota Highway 15 east of Estelline. All drainage structures on Highway 28 were replaced and upgraded. That project was one of three highlighted in the FY25 report in the Aberdeen District.

In the Mitchell District, South Dakota Highway 37 from Main Street to National Guard Road was regraded with new concrete. The bridge over the Lake Mitchell Spillway was removed and reconstructed and a shared path with access to the lake and Kibbee Park was installed.

Year-round access to the town of Rochford was improved with a Rochford Road Reconstruction project. The project started at the intersection with Deerfield Road. This project was in the Rapid City District.

Here’s an idea of some larger projects that will continue this year. Phase Two construction on U.S. Highway 385 from Pactola Dam to Sheridan Lake will continue this year with completion in 2027.

Another continued project is 15 1/2 miles of paving on South Dakota Highway 46 from near Beresford to the Iowa state line.

A large chunk of the money to do road and bridge projects in the state comes from the federal highway fund. The state had $682.64 million in federal money in FY25, according to the annual report. Another $186.04 million came from the state fuel tax. The state vehicle excise tax contributed $172.61 million. Other sources accounted for about $88 million bringing the total funding to $1.13 billion, according to the annual report.