News Stories

“Hanson” snow plow honors late Webster DOT driver - Dakota News Now 01/10/2023

January 11, 2023
WEBSTER, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - A Department of Transportation snow plow in Webster has a new name, and it wasn’t one chosen in a contest. Todd Hanson began driving for the South Dakota Department of Transportation in Webster when he was just 18 years old. After a 35-year career, Hanson passed away in the spring of 2022 after battling colon cancer. Those who worked with Hanson knew him as a man with a wealth of knowledge and experience, but he was never one to want the spotlight. ”Todd was a h...

New bridge's date a tentative summer 2024 - Capital Journal 01/10/2023

January 11, 2023
The new Lt. Cmdr. John C. Waldron Memorial Bridge over the Missouri River is slowly but surely coming together. Upcoming work this winter will include pile driving for the Fort Pierre-side abutment and erecting the structural steel girders. “Concrete placing for the capitals at bent four is scheduled for later this week. The next items to be constructed will be the capitals at bent three and the caps at bents four and three,” according to the most recent bridge newsletter. “Due to winter we...

DOT: Storm made many roads impassable in southeast SD - Keloland 1/3/2022

January 04, 2023
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Tuesday’s massive winter storm has meant significant problems for any kind of travel on many roads. “I know the calls I’ve been on this morning, we’ve had multiple snow plow trucks get stuck themselves out there,” said Craig Smith, director of operations with the South Dakota Department of Transportation.Watch or read the full story here

How does the DOT decide to close highways - Keloland 1/3/2022

January 03, 2023
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A portion of I-90 between Chamberlain and Humboldt remains closed Tuesday afternoon, with many other routes across the state designated with differing warnings and conditions. But how does the South Dakota DOT decide when a route should be closed? “We do have a defined process,” said Craig Smith, DOT Director of Operations. “It’s a partnership with the Department of Public Safety, so between the Highway Patrol and the Department of Transportation — they make that final...

South Dakota plow drivers rescue 50 people in mid-December snowstorm - Dakota News Now 1/2/2023

January 03, 2023
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) -The plow drivers across the state get behind the wheel to ensure the roads are driveable. Sometimes they go above and beyond. “It’s not our job to rescue, but when we’re called upon, we go and do it,” says Jim Lolley, SD DOT Maintenance Supervisor in Murdo. “To save these people they’ve never met before,” adds Jason Humphrey, SD DOT Pierre Region Engineer. When a mid-December storm swept across the state, the hardest-hit areas needed to close. Lolley says onc...