South Dakota Highway 63

Highway 63
Highway 63
	SD 63 highlighted in red
Route information
	Maintained bySDDOT
Length	167.455 mi(269.493 km)
Tourist; routes	Lewis and Clark Trail; Native American Scenic Byway;
Southern segment
Length	20.826 mi(33.516 km)
South end	US 18nearParmelee
North end	246th Avenue south ofNorris
Northern segment
Length	146.629 mi(235.977 km)
South end	SD 44south ofCorn Creek
Major intersections	I-90from north ofBelvidereto nearStamford; US 14from west ofMidlandto west ofHayes; US 212inNorth Eagle Butte; SD 20from nearFiresteelto west ofTrail City; US 12inMcLaughlin;
North end	ND 6at theNorth Dakotastate line north of McLaughlin
Location
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Counties	Todd; Mellette; Jackson; Haakon; Stanley; Ziebach; Dewey; Corson;
Highway system
	South Dakota State Trunk Highway System; Interstate; US; State;

South Dakota Highway 63(SD 63) is a 167.455-mile (269.493 km)state highwayin centralSouth Dakota,United States, that connectsU.S. Route 18(US 18) south-southeast ofParmeleewith theNorth Dakotastate line north ofMcLaughlin.

It consists of two disconnected segments. The southern segment begins at US 18 south-southeast of Parmelee and proceeds 20.826 miles (33.516 km) to a ruralintersectionjust south ofNorris.The much-longer northern segment, which is 146.629 miles (235.977 km) long, begins at an intersection withSD 44just south ofCorn Creekand ends at theNorth Dakotastate line north ofMcLaughlin,where the roadway continues asNorth Dakota Highway 6(ND 6).

Portions of SD 63 north ofUS 14/SD 34west ofHayesare part of theLewis and Clark Trail.The segment of the highway, from US 14/SD 34 just west of Hayes, toUS 212west ofEagle Butte,is part of theNative American Scenic Byway.

The portion of the highway, from just north of theintersectionwithSD 44to a point approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south ofBelvidere,is adirt road.

Route description

Southern segment

The southern segment of SD 63 begins at anintersectionwithU.S. Route 18(US 18) south-southeast ofParmelee,in the northwestern part of bothTodd Countyand theRosebud Indian Reservation.After traveling westward through Parmelee, the highway crosses overCut Meat Creekand then skirt along the northern edge of Eagle Feather Lake. It curves to the north-northeast and makes a stairstep pattern to the west before resuming a northward path. At an intersection with the appropriately-named County Line Road, the highway leaves Todd County and the Rosebud Indian Reservation and enters the southwestern part ofMellette County.SD 63 crosses over Gray Eagletail Creek and then curves to the west. Just south ofNorris,it curves to the north and immediately meets its northern terminus, an intersection with the northern terminus of 246th Avenue.

Northern segment

Mellette County

SD 63 resumes approximately 7 miles (11 km) to the north, just south ofCorn Creek,in the west-central portion of Mellette County, at an intersection withSD 44.At the northern end of Corn Creek, just south of an intersection with Wooden Knif Lane, the pavement ends, and the roadway becomes adirt road.It curves to the north-northeast and crosses overBlack Pipe Creek.The highway winds its way to the north and slightly bends more to the west. At a second crossing of Black Pipe Creek, it enters the northeastern part of bothJackson Countyand thePine Ridge Indian Reservation.It also enters theMountain Time Zone.

Jackson County

At a crossing of theWhite River,SD 63 leaves the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It curves to the north and entersBelvidere.At an intersection with D Street, the dirt road ends and the paved portion resumes. on the northern edge of Belvidere, it intersects the former path ofSD 248.Then, it has aninterchangewithInterstate 90(I-90). Here, I-90 and SD 63 travelconcurrentlyto the east. Almost immediately, they cross overBrave Bull Creek.The eastbound lanes have arest areabefore the roadway curves to the northeast. The westbound lanes then have a rest area before the highways split. SD 63 heads to the north-northwest and curves to the north, before resuming its north-northwest direction. SD 63 then enters the southeastern part ofHaakon County.

Southern Haakon County

SD 63 continues to the north-northwest. It crosses over theBad Riverand then crosses over somerailroad tracksof theRapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroadbefore cutting across the southeastern part ofMidland.Just after leaving thecity limitsof Midland, it intersectsUS 14.Here, it turns right and travels concurrently with US 14, while the roadway continues as 248th Avenue. Almost immediately, US 14/SD 63 re-enter Midland. The last intersection in Midland, the appropriately-named Midland Avenue, leads to thebusiness districtof the town. The concurrency curves to the north-northwest. After a curve to the north-northeast, they head to the north again. Then, they enter the southwestern part ofStanley County.

Stanley County

US 14/SD 63 travels due north and slide slightly to the east just before they split. They intersectSD 34approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) west ofHayes.US 14 follows SD 34 east of this intersection, while SD 63 follows SD 34 west for about1⁄2mile (0.80 km). When SD 63 splits off, it travels due north to the northwestern part of the county. It then slides slightly to the west and resumes its northward trek. It curves to the west-northwest and re-enters Haakon County, this time in the northeastern part of the county.

Northern Haakon County

SD 63 curves to the west-southwest and crosses over Sage Creek. The highway curves to the north-northwest and crosses over Hermaphrodite Creek. The highway then crosses over theCheyenne River.Here, it enters the southeastern part ofZiebach Countyand the south-central part of theCheyenne River Indian Reservation.

Ziebach County

SD 63 crosses over Dupree Creek. It then curves to the northwest and then to the north. At an intersection with Airport Road, which leads to Cheyenne–Eagle Butte Airport, the highway entersDewey County.

Dewey County

SD 63 begins to skirt along the western edge ofNorth Eagle Butte.It intersectsUS 212on the northwestern edge of thecensus-designated place(CDP). US 212 and SD 63 travel concurrently to the east, along the northern edge of the CDP. They enter the city limits of North Eagle Butte and pass somesewage disposalponds. After leaving the city limits, they skirt along the southern edge of the CDP. When SD 63 splits off to the north, it skirts along the eastern edge of North Eagle Butte. It curves to the north-northwest and skirts along the eastern edge ofGreen Grass.It crosses over theMoreau Riverand curves back to the north. Approximately 3.2 miles (5.1 km) east-northeast ofFiresteel,it intersectsSD 20.The two highways travel concurrently in a due-east direction, while the roadway continue as County Road 3B (CR 3B). They curve to the east-northeast and cut through the northern part ofTimber Lake.They curve to the north-northeast and north, before curving back to the east. SD 20/SD 63 then travel along the Dewey–Corsoncounty line. SD 63 splits off from SD 20 about 4 miles (6.4 km) west ofTrail City.It travels in a due-north direction and enters the southeastern part of both Corson County and theStanding Rock Indian Reservation.

Corson County

SD 63 curves to the north-northeast and crosses over theGrand River.It then curves to the north-northwest and skirts along the western edge ofLittle Eagle.It curves back to the north and then entersMcLaughlin.There, it has an intersection withUS 12.Immediately after this intersection is a crossing of some railroad tracks ofBNSF Railway.The highway crosses over Oak Creek and continues to the north to theNorth Dakotastate line. Here, SD 63 intersects 100th Street and reaches its northern terminus, while the roadway continues asNorth Dakota Highway 6(ND 6).

History

In the mid-1920s, a southern segment of SD 63 traveled from theNebraskastate line, south ofOlsonvilletoMurdo.This changed in 1927, when SD 63 was truncated to end at US 14, and the former southern segment was renumberedSD 59. In the 1960s, extensions of SD 63 were implemented. Around 1960, SD 63 was extended south toUS 16nearStamford.By 1965, it was placed on a concurrency withSD 40(nowSD 44) south from Belvidere, ending west of Cedar Butte. By 1971, it was extended to US 18 near Parmlee, where it currently ends.

On the northern end of the highway, SD 63 originally did not exist north of Timber Lake (the original northern terminus of SD 63). Around 1944, another segment of SD 63 fromMcLaughlintoNorth Dakotawas added, replacingSD 61.^[2]Between 1948 and 1953, the highway was realigned to begin approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Firesteel. Between 1965 and 1971, the far northern segment was extended south from McLaughlin to SD 20, then west to connect with the other segment.

A resolution in the 2007 legislative session urgedSouth Dakota Department of Transportation(SDDOT) to work to connect the two segments of the highway. Currently, the 6.9-mile-long (11.1 km) segment in between is a county road, which has over 400 vehicles per day travel on it.

Major intersections

County	Location	mi^[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Todd	West Todd	0.000	0.000	US 18–Pine Ridge,Martin	Southern terminus of southern segment
Mellette	Cedarbutte	20.826	33.516	246th Avenue south	Northern terminus of southern segment and 246th Avenue
	Gap in route
	Cedarbutte	21.036	33.854	SD 44toSD 73–White River	Southern terminus of northern segment
Jackson	Northeast Jackson	42.704	68.725	I-90west –Kadoka	Southern end of I-90 concurrency; I-90 exit 163
Jackson	Northeast Jackson	42.933	69.094	I-90east –Murdo	Northern end of I-90 concurrency; I-90 exit 170
Haakon	East Haakon			US 14west / 248th Avenue north –Phillip	Southern end of Us 14 concurrency; southern terminus of 248th Avenue
Stanley	South Stanley–North Stanleyline			US 14east /SD 34east /Lewis and Clark Trail/ Native American Scenic Byway –Pierre	Northern end of US 14 concurrency; southern end of SD 34 concurrency
Stanley	South Stanley–North Stanleyline	66.858	107.598	SD 34west –Sturgis	Northern end of SD 34 concurrency
Haakon	No major junctions
Ziebach	No major junctions
Dewey	North Eagle Butte			US 212west –Dupree	Southern end of US 212 concurrency
	North Eagle Butte	115.785	186.338	US 212east / Native American Scenic Byway –Gettysburg	Northern end of US 212 concurrency
	North Dewey			SD 20west –Isabel	Southern end of SD 20 concurrency; roadway continues as County Road 3B (CR 3B).
Dewey–Corson county line	North Dewey–Central Corsonline	145.799	234.641	SD 20east /Lewis and Clark Trail–Trail City	Northern end of SD 20 concurrency
Corson	McLaughlin	158.625	255.282	US 12–McIntosh,Mobridge
Corson	Central Corson	167.455	269.493	ND 6north –Selfridge,Mandan	Northern terminus of northern segment; continuation into North Dakota
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrencyterminus