There are roughly 1,800 bridges in the state of South Dakota, but there is one bridge that is longest in the state!

With a length of 5,655 feet long, the Platte-Winner Bridge on SD Highway 44 is the longest bridge in the Mount Rushmore State!

Build in 1966, the major reason for its construction, according to the website johnweeks.com, was to provide an additional access route for tourism to the Black Hills before interstate I-90 was constructed.

The bridge was build over Lake Francis Case, who was a U.S. Senator from South Dakota. One of his main goals according to Wikipedia, was to expand America's road and waterway infrastructure, particularly in South Dakota.

Now you may be thinking, isn't the bridge on interstate I-90 that crosses the Missouri River longer than this one? Well no, its not. The Lewis and Clark Memorial Bridge in Chamberlain is only 2,031 feet long.

So next time you are planning to take a trip out to the Black Hills, take a alternate route and travel across the longest bridge in the state.


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