South Dakota Highway 44

Highway 44
Route (in red) of SD 44
Route information
Defined by SDCL §31-4-164
Maintained by SDDOT
Length:	379.022 mi (609.977 km)
Major junctions
West end:	US 385 near Rapid City
	I-190 in Rapid City US 16 in Rapid City US 83 near White River US 183 near Witten US 18 near Jordan Junction US 281 near Corsica
East end:	I-29 near Worthing
Highway system
South Dakota Highways Interstate U.S. State ← SD 43 SD 45 →

South Dakota Highway 44 (SD 44) is a state highway in southern South Dakota that runs from U.S. Route 385 (US 385) west of Rapid City to Interstate 29 (I-29) south of Sioux Falls. It is just more than 379 miles (610 km) long.

SD 44 begins at a junction with US 385 and heads along a curvy road in a general southeasterly direction through the Black Hills National Forest. It curves to the east and leaves the forest, then bends back to the southeast and clips the northeastern corner of the forest before leaving it permanently and entering Rapid City, where it is known as Jackson Boulevard. In the western outskirts of Rapid City, the highway curves to the northeast and passes north of Canyon Lake before crossing Rapid Creek. The road passes near several city parks before turning due north onto Mountain View Road and crossing Main Street, which holds the Interstate 90 Business (I-90 Bus.) designation. A block north of here, SD 44 turns east onto Omaha Street and splits into a four-lane highway. It continues in that direction and intersects the southern terminus of I-190, as well as US 16.

SD 44 and US 16 trek southeast for a short distance before US 16 splits off onto Mt Rushmore Road to the south and SD 44 continues heading southeast along Omaha Street. It crosses the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad and then intersects I-90 Bus. again. East of this intersection, SD 44 is reduced to two lanes. It crosses Rapid Creek again, then turns southeast and shares a folded diamond interchange with US 16 Truck and SD 79. Southeast of here, the highway leaves Rapid City and enters unincorporated Rapid Valley. The road parallels a railroad owned by the state of South Dakota as it leaves Rapid Valley and passes just south of the Rapid City Regional Airport.