Bypass construction reroutes school traffic
<p><strong>From left</strong>, Ryan Young of Mountain West Holding Co., a subcontractor of LHC, and James Mitchell of the Montana Department of Transportation direct traffic at the new temporary stoplight at the entrance to Glacier High School on Monday morning. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)</p>
Beginning Monday morning, traffic around Glacier High School was rerouted as trucks began hauling heavy road-building material for U.S. 93 bypass construction.
“It was pretty busy first thing this morning, but it looked like we had the last of the students in the lot by 8:08 this morning,” said Jim Mitchell, engineering project manager for the Montana Department of Transportation.
Mitchell said about 120 loads of pit-run gravel had gone to the southbound on-ramp at Old Reserve Drive by about 11:30 a.m. on Monday. Traffic not headed toward Glacier High may have encountered five or 10-minute delays, Mitchell said.
Trucks are hauling from LHC on Stillwater Road and driving on Reserve Drive to the bypass.
The temporary traffic realignment directs all Glacier traffic to the west entrance from Stillwater Road onto Wolfpack Way. The school’s north entrance has been restricted to school buses only and the eastern school access is closed.
The temporary traffic change is expected to be in effect through March 12 for 24 hours a day.
Glacier High Assistant Principal Micah Hill said there was almost no change from the school’s perspective.
“Administratively, we thought there would be a lot of kids coming in late,” Hill said. “But it wasn’t worse than any other time. It seemed like everything was well anticipated and went really smoothly.”
Hill said drivers should still anticipate a few minutes of delay in the morning and try to arrive earlier if possible.
“It’s temporary and it’s a little frustrating but it will pass, and when it’s done we won’t be any worse for the wear,” Hill said.
Mitchell, who was directing traffic at Glacier, said Monday’s fleet of trucks is smaller than what drivers can expect over the next two weeks.
“We’re going to feel it out to make sure everything is working well to get these ramps done,” Mitchell said. “As the week continues we’ll have more trucks.”
Mitchell said trucks will be laying out the pit-run gravel down to the Four Mile Road overpass, where empty trucks will be able to exit the bypass and return to LHC Inc. via Stillwater Road.
Once the work nears Four Mile Drive and the number of hauling trucks increases, the Department of Transportation will set up another stoplight on Stillwater Road to coordinate traffic.
“We started on a good foot this morning. I think we’re ready to roll,” Mitchell said.
Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.