KOTA TV: SDDOT seeks public input on Highway 385 project near Strawberry Hill

https://www.kotatv.com/2026/08/30/sddot-seeks-public-input-highway-385-project-near-strawberry-hill/

The South Dakota Department of Transportation is asking for public input on a proposed Highway 385 project that would affect part of the Strawberry Hill picnic area and fishing pond in Lawrence County.

The project would reconstruct and straighten a curve on U.S. Highway 385 about four miles south of U.S. Highway 85. It also includes realigning the entrance to the Strawberry Hill picnic area.

Because the project involves land within the U.S. Forest Service-managed recreation area, it is subject to federal protections under Section 4(f), which covers public parks, recreation areas, wildlife refuges and historic sites.

The project would permanently use about one-third of an acre of the picnic area and temporarily affect about 3.25 acres during construction. SDDOT says the permanent land acquisition would not significantly affect the site’s recreational use.

Officials are proposing a “de minimis impact” finding, meaning they believe the project would have only minimal effects on the protected property.

Plans include keeping the picnic area accessible during construction, posting signs about the work, limiting equipment and material storage in the recreation area and coordinating construction activities with the U.S. Forest Service.

The public can review the project materials and submit comments through Sept. 11.

Comments can be submitted through the SDDOT public involvement website or by email or mail to Chad Babcock, South Dakota Department of Transportation 700 E. Broadway Ave. Pierre, SD 57501.