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KATIE ZERR: ‘Singing Bridge’ is vital to community


In 1963, The Singing Bridge, which connects segments of the Standing Rock Reservation with East River communities was built across the span of the Grand River where it meets the Missouri River.
According to Jeanne Weigum, in the “bad old days” those wanting to get to Mobridge from Wakpala or from homesites on that side of the river, if they did not want to drive “the long way,” would either drive through the shallow Grand River or drive on the ice in the winter. With the opening of the bridge and the paving of Highway 1806, a new era of travel was introduced to that part of the reservation.
It has become a very important mode of travel for our part of the country. First and foremost, emergency services, ambulance and fire fighters, from Mobridge that serve Wakpala and other areas on the reservation have a shorter, direct route.
People living in that area have a shorter, easier route to Mobridge for healthcare or life’s essentials.
The bridge allows Native American families who live in Mobridge to send their children to the Wakpala Schools.
The bridge allows trucking companies to have a shorter route to bring goods to the school and communities on the reservation.
It is a shorter route to Bismarck/Mandan for people living on the east side of the river.
In short, the bridge has become the main travel route for the people living in this area for a multitude of reasons.
Jeanne said the Singing Bridge was built as part of the project of building the Oahe Dam. It is about three-fourths of a mile long and part of the three-bridge combination that gave Mobridge its designation. The BNSF Railroad Bridge and U.S. Highway 12 Bridge are a part of the unique combination of bridges that connect transportation of goods and services to this part of the country. According to Jeanne, the bridge got its unique moniker, The Singing Bridge, because when it was first built it made a distinct and spooky humming sound when you drove over it. I remember as a child, my dad and mom taking us kids for a Sunday drive, all of the windows rolled down as we drove across the bridge.
My dad would make up stories about the spirits singing to us as we crossed the bridge. It was a part of my childhood. When I first moved back to Mobridge in 1993, the bridge still “sang.”
Jeanne said it was resurfaced 20 or so years ago and it no longer sings, but the name remains.
When I first took my mother across the newly resurfaced bridge as we headed to Bismarck or a doctor’s appointment, I remember the disappointment we both felt at the lack of “singing” as we crossed.
When the bridge was closed on Saturday, a vital part of our community was closed off. We were facing a longer drive, hybrid learning for the Wakpala School children, longer waits for emergency services and a major inconvenience for those who use the bridge on a daily basis.
It was back to the “bad old days” as Jeanne had put it.
But on Tuesday, information released by the South Dakota Department of Transportation was a relief when they said the bridge could be open as soon as next week, after emergency repairs to the damaged pillar are done.
This morning an engineer for the SDDOT said the work would begin today.
Hopefully it won’t be long before traffic is back to normal or near normal, for those whose lifeline includes that bridge.
We don’t know the extent of the damage or the “what could have happened” scenarios we are so fond of creating and repeating, but we do know the SDDOT will make repairs to reopen the bridge.
Thanks to the quick actions of a few Mobridge residents, the SDDOT will ensure the bridge is safe for vehicle travel and our transportation artery open for all.

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