Keloland: Stars came out for Platte-Winner bridge ceremony
CHARLES MIX COUNTY, S.D. (KELO) — The October weather couldn’t have been better — 80 degrees, sunny and a gentle breeze — than it was on Thursday afternoon for a groundbreaking ceremony at South Dakota’s longest bridge.
The hundreds of people who came together on the east bank of the Missouri River heard the words of South Dakota’s governor as well as the state’s three members of Congress and the head of the Federal Highway Administration, and then watched them sink golden-bladed shovels into a grey mound of dirt, marking the start of construction for a new SD 44 bridge between Platte and Winner.
In the far distance, a crew from the contractor, Ames Construction, could be seen already busy at work, prepping the area on the current bridge’s west side. The mile-long structure opened to traffic in 1966 and cost $4.5 million. The new bridge will be still be two lanes, but at 36 feet across they will be wider than the current bridge’s 28-feet width, and it will cost approximately $290 million, or 6,344% more.
“For over sixty years this bridge has done what it was supposed to do — serve the public,” the event’s emcee, state Transportation Secretary Joel Jundt, told the gathering. Some people sat in rows of chairs in the bright sunshine, but many sought the shade of trees farther away, and the uniformed bands from Platte-Geddes High School and Winner Area High School provided the soundtrack.
Jundt said the current bridge’s supports weren’t designed to handle the stress of ice loading and that was one reason it needs to be replaced. Another was simply age — until the current bridge was constructed, people couldn’t drive across the Missouri River between Platte and Winner — and the structure was built to last 50 years. Now it’s pushing past 60.
“Nothing was made to last forever,” Jundt said. He added, “Today, we begin a new chapter with this structure.”
Gov. Larry Rhoden said the Platte-Winner bridge is the longest in South Dakota. He pointed out how the federal government provided $65 million and the state’s Congressional delegation worked together to direct another $25 million toward the project.
“That is responsible investment in South Dakota’s infrastructure,” the governor said.
Next to speak was Sean McMaster, the administrator for the Federal Highway Administration. He said the current bridge is too narrow but is essential to the daily lives of the people in the area. He spoke about what not having the bridge would mean. “It can add more than eighty miles to a traveler’s journey,” McMaster said.
The new bridge is designed to have a 100-year life, which McMaster described as “fantastic.”
U.S. Sen. John Thune spoke next. “Infrastructure drives this country,” he said. He grew up in Murdo, and said that the community’s tourist-oriented businesses couldn’t exist without the bridges that cross the Missouri River.
U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds said getting Congress to agree to help fund the project was “a team sport.” He dipped into South Dakota’s early history and said that then-Gov. Peter Norbeck saw the potential of the state’s western half. Rounds said Norbeck convinced the public to support a statewide property tax specifically to build five bridges across the Missouri River.
“The people of South Dakota saw the future,” Rounds said.
Rounds also noted that Ken Scurr was the state’s chief engineer who designed the Platte-Winner bridge. Rounds said the new bridge is another example of people looking ahead. “This is something each generation has to do for the next generations,” Rounds said.
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson was the afternoon’s final speaker. The ceremony was next to the Snake Creek state recreation area. Johnson recalled the reaction a decade ago when his then-eight-year-old son first saw the beautiful area as they arrived at Snake Creek to camp.
“Oh wow,” the younger Johnson said.
Rep. Johnson closed with these words about the day’s significance. “This is where east meets west,” he said. “This is where we connect our fine state.”