U.S. Route 16A

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Mount Rushmore seen from a tunnel on route 16A

Pigtail bridge at the exit of the same tunnel

U.S. Route 16A is a scenic United States highway, which divides from U.S. Route 16 in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Termini

As of 2004, the highway's eastern terminus is at a junction with US 16 called the Keystone Wye south of Rapid City, South Dakota. The western terminus is a junction with US 16 in Custer, South Dakota.

Features

The route passes through Keystone, South Dakota; Norbeck Wildlife Refuge; Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and Custer State Park (including State Game Lodge and Legion Lake); before rejoining the parent highway.

US 16A is famous for its scenic, one-lane tunnels aligned to frame the faces on Mount Rushmore, its "pigtail bridges", and its sections of divided highway but with single (and narrow) lanes on each roadway. It is the only route which can be used to drive through Custer State Park without having to pay an entrance fee for the park, provided the traveler does not stop in the Park.

Portions of US 16A are known as the Iron Mountain Road. The route includes most of the tunnels on the South Dakota state highway system, including the only four-lane tunnel in the state, just north of Keystone. Part of the highway is also a boundary of the Black Elk Wilderness. The Iron Mountain portion of the road is not maintained in the winter. The road, like several other Scenic Roads in the Black Hills, was originally laid out by Governor Peter Norbeck, specifically to create a very scenic, slow-speed road for tourists.

Historical route 16A

An older road through the Badlands of South Dakota was designated route 16A between 1944 and 1980. It is now State Highway 240.

Sources

• Chris Geelhart, The South Dakota Highways Page: Highways 1 to 30, consulted 5 September 2006.