What is the SDDOT Winter Highway Maintenance Plan?

Through open plains and rolling hills, from big cities to family farms, the roadways in South Dakota connect us all. When winter arrives each year, the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) is responsible for performing maintenance activities on nearly 7,800 miles of roadways. To manage these activities so roads can be as safe as possible for all travelers in South Dakota, the SDDOT and others created this plan which is updated annually. This is the SDDOT Winter Highway Maintenance Plan (WHMP) for 2022-2023.

Through the 2021 customer satisfaction survey results, 62% of respondents identified snow and ice removal from highways at a high priority to focus on. The SDDOT has taken this feedback to improve processes and procedures to deliver the highest service for SDDOT customers.  Read the full survey here.

At the highest level, SDDOT works in partnership with neighboring states to track weather patterns and events that affect the area. This information-sharing system can give advanced warnings of upcoming events, which helps decision-makers prepare and deploy resources. Winter conditions, both in general and resulting from events like storms, vary greatly throughout the state. Rather than adopt a “one-size-fits-all” approach, South Dakota is divided into Regions and Areas with dedicated individuals and teams responsible for the local decisions and activities.



The largest sections are the four primary Regions, each of which has an appointed Region Engineer: Rapid City, Pierre, Aberdeen, and Mitchell. Each Region is subdivided into three Areas (twelve Areas statewide), each with an assigned Area Engineer. Each Area has a variety of routes to address based on priority. Refer to the map above, for SDDOT Regions and their respective Areas.

Read the Winter Highway Maintenance Plan