Construction work affects city traffic

Motorists, beware: There is plenty of road construction to make your driving routes an adventure — and more roadblocks are on the way.

The city of Kalispell has announced that the next phases of work on Fourth Avenue East North and Woodland Avenue will get underway Monday.

The Fourth Avenue East North work is a water system improvement project that will be carried out between Idaho Street and East Oregon Street.

The project started earlier this summer between Center Street and Idaho Street and it is expected to continue for roughly the next month.

Local access to residences and businesses will be preserved, according to a news release from the city. Commuter and nonessential traffic is asked to take alternate routes around the work zone. Motorists and pedestrians are asked to be careful.

Woodland Avenue has been closed since Aug. 18 for preparation work on an asphalt overlay project between Second Street and South Woodland Avenue. Paving gets underway Monday and is expected to continue through Thursday.

Both lanes will be closed to traffic and there will be minimal access for residents.

Alternate routes are advised.

There’s plenty of other work underway around Kalispell.

The First Alley East North sewer replacement project started in early August and is expected to continue through September. This involves closures of East Washington and East Oregon streets.

There is a stormwater system improvement project on Fourth Avenue East from Eighth Street East to 10th Street East that will continue through Sept. 3.

It also involves work that has closed Ninth Street East between Fourth Avenue East to Sixth Avenue East.

A paving project on the southern section of First Avenue East was completed last week.

Beyond Kalispell, there is plenty of other road construction for motorists to deal with:

•  Overpass construction continues at Three Mile Drive although work is taking place off the roadway and is not affecting traffic.
•  On U.S. 93 between Karrow Avenue and Mountainside Drive west of Whitefish, major construction continues. Drivers can expect delays up to 15 minutes, a rough roadway and reduced speed of 25 mph.
•  Also in the Whitefish area, work continues on the reconstruction of Second Street East near the Armory Park complex and dog park.
•  In Evergreen, a major storm-drain project began this week on U.S. 2, although work is limited to 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
•  West of Kalispell on U.S. 2, bridge replacements and highway reconstruction mean 15-minute delays and a 35 mph speed limit.