South Dakota Paving & Pavement Contractors

What makes pavement work different in South Dakota?

South Dakota splits at the Missouri River into predictable glaciated prairie and swelling Pierre Shale, and prices construction through an excise tax built into the contract.

• Pierre Shale underlies much of the state west of the Missouri River; it swells, softens dramatically when wet, and moves on slopes, which makes subgrade treatment and drainage the controlling decisions there.
• South Dakota does not license paving contractors at the state level, but it does impose a contractors' excise tax on construction gross receipts that is built into the bid price rather than added separately.
• East River glaciated till and loess behave far more predictably than West River shale, so a specification appropriate to Sioux Falls may not be appropriate to Rapid City.
• Frost depth is substantial statewide, so clean granular depth beneath the pavement usually matters more to performance than the surface thickness above it.
• Limestone karst in parts of the Black Hills means directing concentrated stormwater into the ground is a decision that warrants engineering input rather than a default.

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