Transportation Commission announces BIG recipients

PIERRE, S.D. (KOTA) - The South Dakota Transportation Commission awarded 35 preservation, rehabilitation, and replacement Bridge Improvement Grants totaling approximately $39 million at the recent commission meeting held in Pierre. The grant process aims to improve the overall condition of important assets on which South Dakotans rely every day. The link that drives the state’s overall transportation system’s interconnectedness is provided by these structures; while improving overall economic development throughout the state.

“Today the South Dakota Transportation Commission reinforced their commitment to improving the efficiency, safety, and access of the transportation system throughout our state,” said Joel Jundt, Secretary of Transportation. “The BIG program continues to be vital for the necessary preservation, rehabilitation, and replacement of local government structures, and the SDDOT commends the Transportation Commission for their continued commitment to provide state funding for this critical local government program.”

BIG Recipients:

City Recipients: Aberdeen (1), Box Elder (1), Hot Springs (1), Mitchell (1), Sioux Falls (2), and Sturgis (1).County Recipients: Beadle (1), Brookings (2), Butte (1), Clay (2), Davison (1), Day (1), Deuel (1), Grant (2), Haakon (1), Hughes (1), Lake (1), Lawrence (1), Lincoln (1), Lyman (1), McCook (1), Miner (1), Minnehaha (3), Pennington (2), Roberts (1), Sanborn (1), Turner (1), and Union (1).

Seventy-four applications totaling $97.7 million in total project costs were received by the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT). In total, eight cities submitted nine applications and 28 counties submitted 65 applications.

Each year, $7 million is dedicated to licensing plate fees and non-commercial vehicle fees. In addition, SDDOT annually sets aside $8 million per year of state highway funds, for a total of $15 million available for the BIG grants. This year, the Transportation Commission awarded approximately $2.4 million in preliminary engineering (PE) grants, increased the available funding by $25 million, and reallocated approximately $1.4 million from closed projects for a total of $41.4 million.

Application Deadline:

Applications for the next round of the BIG program are due Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, for the Preliminary Engineering (PE) category.

Contact:

For more information regarding the BIG program, contact Doug Kinniburgh at 605-773-4284 or visit https://dot.sd.gov/doing-business/local-governments/bridge-improvement-grants.