Came across something very interesting the other day. In the original plan of the interstate system, I-31 was to run from Fargo northward, and I-29 was to run from Sioux Falls southward, with a 230+ mile gap between the two. What really surprised me is that after coming to the conclusion that there should be a freeway between Sioux Falls and Fargo, authorities had originally planned for I-29 to run through Minnesota instead, overlaying US 75. Eventually, I-29 was rerouted into South Dakota, but maintained a straight line route from Sioux Falls upward. Instead of going by cities such as Brookings, Watertown, and Sisseton, it was routed to go through smaller cities such as Clear Lake and Milbank. Nonetheless, according to the I-29 in SD Wikipedia article, “After [an] interchange, the highway turns northwest en route to Watertown. Early planning of this segment of I-29 had the route passing just east of Kranzburg, or about 9 miles east of Watertown. A past president of the Watertown Chamber of Commerce contacted C.L. Chase, a member of the Democratic National Committee, in an effort to get I-29 routed closer to Watertown. The effort was successful; the westward alignment became known locally as the Chase Bend.” I find it interesting that I-29 wasn’t originally planned to serve a city such as Watertown. Any thoughts. Granted this all occurred in the 50s and 60s but still. If I come up with more info on it I will be sure to post it here. Thanks!
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