Meridian Road work winds down on Meridian
Traffic on Meridian Road in Kalispell should be back to normal sometime in the next few weeks as construction work finishes up for the winter.
Gary Kalberg, construction engineer for the Montana Department of Transportations Missoula District, said the detour near Idaho Street should be removed and the lanes repaved before work ends for the season.
The $6.6 million project, which has been on Kalispells urban highway priority list for more than a decade, involves widening Meridian between Idaho and U.S. 93.
A small portion of the job was scheduled this year. The bulk of the construction will take place next year.
The general contractor, Nelcon Inc., has removed several thousand tons of contaminated material from the road bed near Idaho Street. Kalberg said the company is now completing the subgrade and gravel base for the rebuilt lanes, in preparation for paving them.
Theyll get [the lanes] paved in and traffic back to the normal route before they finish for the year, he said.
Plans call for one northbound through lane along the length of Meridian, with separate turn lanes at various intersections as needed, Kalberg said. Southbound, there will be one through lane between U.S. 93 and Three Mile Drive, with a center turn lane. From Two Mile to Three Mile, there will be two southbound lanes, with separate turn lanes as needed.
At the Idaho Street intersection, there will be one southbound through lane, a right-turn only lane and two left-turn only lanes.
Nelcon and the Department of Transportation are still discussing how to handle traffic flows during next years construction season.
Kalberg said the company had trouble this year because there wasnt enough room in some areas for its excavator to rotate without blocking traffic.
They learned a lot this season about how much room they need to be efficient, he said. Now theyre trying to massage [the traffic plan] for next year.
One possibility might be to close Meridian between Idaho and Three Mile Drive, rerouting traffic along side streets. Property owners along Meridian and the side streets would have to be consulted before this option were approved, Kalberg said. However, it would probably speed up construction by a month or two.
A decision on this issue probably wont be forthcoming any time soon, he said. It could take until next spring to finalize the matter.
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In other news, the new traffic light on U.S. 93, near the new Costco store, should be turned on this morning.
The light has been blinking yellow for the last few days to alert drivers that a new traffic signal is in place.
We normally let them flash for two or three days before we turn them on, Kalberg said.
A new traffic light also is being installed in Ferndale on Montana 209, and the bid for a new traffic light in Evergreen, at the intersection of Montana 35 and Shady Lane, should be awarded this month for construction next spring.