Detours and delays are part of year 2 of Black Hills roadwork
SHERIDAN LAKE, S.D. (AP) — The typically serene setting along U.S. Highway 385 in South Dakota as it winds peacefully past the western shore of Sheridan Lake in the central Black Hills is now a busy work zone with a rocky roadway, construction equipment grinding on the hillside and a flagger stopping all traffic.
For the second consecutive tourism season, visitors and local residents will see detours, delays and occasional road closures as they try to navigate this beautiful section of the Black Hills between Hill City and Deadwood.
The second year of a three-year, $72 million effort to widen and straighten a 15-mile stretch of U.S. 385, the only north-south route through the region, is now fully underway. Most trips through the area will endure delays due to flaggers and pilot cars that allow only one-way traffic on gravel and rock surfaces.
During three planned closures this year, drivers will be required to follow a roughly 50-mile detour that takes them back to Rapid City. A state Department of Transportation website provides detailed information about the project and offers a texting option to receive frequent updates.
The two-lane highway provides access to Pactola Reservoir and Sheridan Lake and is the only highway connecting the gambling city of Deadwood on the north to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Crazy Horse Memorial and Custer State Park on the south. The highway is a critical conduit for a regional tourism industry that delivers an estimated $2 billion in revenue to South Dakota each year.
The project’s main goal is to improve safety on the highway, which in spots has narrow or no shoulder and is flanked in spots by deep canyons or unforgiving stands of tall pines.
State transportation officials said 187 crashes with four fatalities and 57 injuries were reported on the stretch of U.S. 385 from 2018 to 2022. A third of those wrecks and most of the deaths occurred when motorists left the roadway.
The construction will include widening road shoulders, smoothing out sharp curves and adding turn lanes to make the road safer for travel. Contractors are clearing trees and blasting rock surfaces to make extra room for the roadway.
First full closure on US 385 in late April
The first full closure of the highway is set for Monday, April 28, and will last for about six weeks on the stretch from Be Still Road to Calumet Road, the section that borders Sheridan Lake.
Two other road closures are planned in 2025 – another from Sheridan Lake Road to Be Still Road from August to September and a third south of the Pactola Dam to Taylor Ranch Road from October to March 2026.
The highway will be open during the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally.
“The contractor will open all lanes to unimpeded traffic and the department will not allow work on the project from July 30, 2025 to Aug. 11, 2025 due to the Sturgis motorcycle rally,” the DOT said in an email to News Watch. “All driving surfaces must be existing asphalt surface or blotter surface by July 23.”
Access to some of the recreational sites in the Black Hills National Forest will be affected during the project this year, according to a news release from the U.S. Forest Service.
The Pactola Visitor Center will be closed the entire summer, and the popular fishing pier on the west end of Sheridan Lake will be inaccessible when U.S. 385 is closed in that section from April 21 to June 13, the agency said.
The planned road closures will also make it harder to access Pactola and Sheridan in general, the agency said.
“It’s important to plan your route before you go,” said Scott Jacobson, spokesperson for the agency. “For example, if you are planning to recreate on the north side of Sheridan Lake, you must come from the north. If you are planning to recreate on the south side of Sheridan Lake, you must come from the south.”
Access to businesses will be affected
While motorists will certainly be affected, the biggest impacts will likely be felt by the dozens of business owners who will see reduced visitor access at various points during the 2025 tourism season.
“We just need people to know that we’re open during all this,” said Angie Weaver, co-owner of Pactola Marina, located off U.S. 385. “The road may be closed, but we aren’t closed.”
Weaver said her business, which includes a general store and rentals of boats and supplies, fared relatively well during the summer of 2024, when the construction was focused on the north end of the project, closer to her business. She said some customers grumbled about the delays but mostly kept coming even if it took longer to arrive.
“We had only a handful of complaints,” she said. “Some would say, ‘Well, that stunk, but we made it.’ And once they’re on the water having fun, they realize it was all worth it.”
Weaver said she felt the project could have had better signage to let tourists know they could still access the marina and how to get there. She said state DOT officials, who have met with local business owners to get input, have promised to improve signage this summer.
Weaver said she is keeping a positive attitude during the three-year project, and is confident the end result of a smoother, safer highway will be worth it. As she plans for her official opening on May 1, Weaver said she is more concerned about the current low water level in the reservoir than she is about construction hassles.
“The road is going to be great, and the section they did last year, even though it’s not fully paved yet, looks very nice,” she said.
Black Hills tourism industry thrives despite roadwork
Despite all the hassles and concerns over access to businesses, the region saw a 2.8% increase in overall spending in 2024 compared to the year prior, according to Michelle Thompson, CEO of the Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association.
Thompson heard anecdotal reports from some association members that were hurt by the construction but said that overall, the region endured the first year of the U.S. 385 construction project quite well.
“I did have a business (in Hill City) tell me that when the construction closure reopened, it was like turning on a faucet and people started traveling to their community again,” Thompson said. “But we don’t have any data showing lower revenues or reduced visits due to the project.”
Thompson said her association, the DOT and the media have done a good job of informing the public and potential visitors about the construction project and how to navigate it. She said one message she is sharing with tourists is to plan ahead but also consider that there is joy in finding new ways to travel around and experience all the Black Hills region has to offer.
“While it may cause delays or some rerouting, there are so many beautiful routes to get you from point A to point B through the Black Hills,” she said. “We ask people to pack their patience and do some planning so they can still have a great experience.”
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This story was originally published by South Dakota News Watch and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.