Columbia Falls Stage Road may have to be rebuilt

A sizable slump along Columbia Falls Stage Road may force Flathead County to rebuild a portion of the road to the east.

Columbia Falls Stage Road will be closed today and Thursday from Fairview Crossroad to Montana 35 while county crews stabilize a slump that’s about 12 feet deep.

It’s only a temporary fix, however, county Public Works Director Dave Prunty said.

Concrete head walls in that area of Columbia Falls Stage Road were installed some time ago, apparently to drain the area. Right now the concrete is “holding everything together,” but rebuilding the road as it’s situated would cost about four times the initial estimate of $30,000, Prunty said.

“As we’ve analyzed it, more the costs have skyrocketed,” he added.

There’s also an area to the south of the slump where the asphalt is stressed and could yield another slump.

“This is not a final fix. We’re going to see if we can migrate the road to the east,” he said.

If it’s feasible, the county could rebuild up to 2,000 feet of Columbia Falls Stage to the east.

Prunty said he hopes to meet with the landowner, who owns property on both sides of the road, to talk about options. The county would need to purchase some right of way on the east side of the road if it were realigned.