New road tops upcoming highway projects

Long-term planning for road construction projects in Montana is always a fluid effort, officials with the Montana Department of Transportation recently reminded Flathead County commissioners.

The state works off a tentative five-year construction plan that constantly is adjusted to deal with emergencies, according to Doug Moeller, Missoula District administrator for the department.

"Especially in a year like this with water damage to so many roads," adjustments are a way of life, he said. "We tell a lot of people a lot of dates and they change," he said. That's why construction dates are always tentative.

All roads in the state took a beating last winter and spring, Moeller said. "I've been in maintenance for 33 years and this is the worst year I've ever seen."

Moeller and Ben Nunnallee, district projects engineer, briefed commissioners on the 51 identified road projects in Flathead County. That number doesn't include ongoing maintenance projects.

One of the priciest projects on the list is a storm drain remediation effort on U.S. 2 East in Evergreen in front of McDonald's.

The estimated cost to fully remedy the situation there is between $7 million and $11 million, Moeller said.

"It's huge. It's a daunting task to fund," he said. "To get rid of the puddle, an entire storm water system would have to be installed in Evergreen," where there is no existing storm drain system.

That project is nowhere close to occurring, he said. On the plan it's listed for sometime after 2015. So far, no revenue source has been identified to pay for the work.

"We are trying to find a new approach," Moeller said.

While the alignment of U.S. 2 East hasn't changed during the decades it's existed, development did occur along the roadway.

"The ditches are gone and there's no drainage out there," Moeller said. "We still want to figure out if there are alternatives for moving that water. There's no nearby place to dump it."

When that project might move forward on the list is not known.

A project much closer at hand is construction of a new road - Reserve Drive South. Plans call for awarding a contract for that job on Sept. 22.

The new road will connect West Reserve Drive and Hutton Ranch Road. The road is to run behind Target and Home Depot and provide an alternate to the U.S. 93/West Reserve Drive intersection.

Now that officials at Flathead Valley Community College have agreed to sell the land to the transportation department, for $757,272 including the land and improvements, the project can proceed.

Construction is expected to begin this fall and resume next spring when weather allows, Moeller said.

Another project coming up is the whitetop construction project on West Idaho Street between Main Street and Meridian Road.

The project will span two construction years and is expected to begin in April 2011.

Plans call for the existing asphalt surface to be milled off and replaced with a concrete road surface, which is what is built on the east end of Idaho Street. New sidewalk work is part of the project and street curbs will be built to conform with Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

"We'll be sprucing up those pedestrian ways a lot," Nunnallee said.

The county fairgrounds intends to incorporate some of its improvements at the same time, Fairgrounds Manager Mark Campbell said.

Campbell and fair board members want to create a pathway around the perimeter of the grounds. They've approved a concept but funding isn't yet in place.

Already bumped down the list in the plan is the installation of a signal on U.S. 2 West at its intersections with Springcreek and Dern roads.

The work was to occur in 2012, but because of cuts to the state's roads budget, there is no funding to pay for it, Nunnallee said.

A consultant has been retained for the project, Moeller said. Among the items to be evaluated by the consultant is determining if more right of way is needed and if the two crossroads should be realigned. He expects the consultant's report to be completed this fall and a plan implemented after that.

Also this fall, department personnel are continuing a feasibility study related to the bridge that crosses the South Fork of the Flathead River near Hungry Horse plus two miles of highway running into Bad Rock Canyon.

"We're still evaluating what to do there," Moeller said. "How do we have a four-lane bridge and taper it into the canyon? We got a lot of good comments at our public meeting and we're reviewing it all."

The environmental document for that bridge project was finished in 1995, he said, but the project was dropped after a lawsuit was filed. At that time, the estimated cost was $60 million.

"The project would have had major impacts to the canyon. We stepped back and are doing a feasibility study now. We heard from the community that they wanted us to take a look at it. Now we'll look at what kinds of options we have. Then we'll program the project in for design work," Moeller said. "We're taking a fresh look. We need to build what's feasible."

Another major bridge project is at the Sportsman's Bridge across the Flathead River northwest of Bigfork. That is pegged for replacement in 2015. The new bridge would be longer and wider to meet existing traffic demands. The department already hosted one public meeting on that project in Bigfork to solicit public comment.

Transportation department officials still are acquiring land associated with the north half of the U.S. 93 bypass, Moeller said. They are continuing their re-evaluation of the crossing at Two Mile Road, whether it will be an overpass or a roundabout.

Construction of the bypass will occur in multiple phases and no schedule has been determined for any bypass work, Moeller said.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.