Travel Notes: I-90 Slow, Chamberlain Highway 50 Bridge Closed

I spent my Friday and Saturday at the Speech Communication Association of South Dakota annual convention. Fun was had by all... once they got there. 36 miles of I-90, from Mount Vernon to Kimball, is under destruction. Some of my Far-East River friends reported a half hour added to their travel times (farm implements may have been involved in the longer delays). I experienced no such troubles, however, taking in the sweeping vistas of Highway 34.

View east on Highway 34, just before the drop into Wessington Springs and the Jim River Valley.

New windmills on the Wessington Springs Ridge. Keep 'em coming!

Best route to Chamberlain from Madison: take 34 all the way to the Prairie Chicken (ahem), then head south to Chamberlain on rolling Highway 50.

I missed the I-90 work, but I did see some serious bridge reconstruction in Chamberlain. The Highway 50 bridge across the Missouri is closed for "rehabilitation." In other words, don't go there! The bridge closure quintupled my travel time from Main Street Chamberlain to the convention site at Cedar Shores.

The Chamberlain-Oacoma Truss Bridge, closed until the end of November, 2010. Says SDDOT: "Work will consist of removal of the existing bridge deck, removal of existing paint from the truss members, repairing or replacing rusted steel, repainting the truss, repair of concrete piers, and replacement of the bridge deck."

We will not cross that bridge when we come to it.

Construction promotes culture: Chamberlain residents and visitors may now more easily enjoy the work of local artists.