Work on U.S. 93 by Lakeside nears completion
Work on U.S. 93 near Lakeside and Somers is nearing completion. The project is located on U.S 93. between West Shore State Park and Somers.
The project is expected to be completed “in a couple of weeks,” according to a Montana Department of Transportation press release sent Friday.
The resurfacing work that smoothed out the travel lanes and added a new layer of asphalt reportedly has been completed. Crews will return to the area in the upcoming week to add new pavement markings. The project will be completed after rumble strips are added to the new asphalt.
“Our contracting partner Riverside Construction was able to get the major resurfacing work done in only two weeks this fall despite several days of rain that halted work,” said District 1 Construction Engineer John Schmidt. “Crews will return in a couple of weeks to add rumble strips; however, we aren’t expecting as long of traffic delays with that work.”
Work on this project began in the spring but was postponed in June due to weather conditions. MDT chose to postpone the remaining work until after Labor Day to allow better weather conditions and to reduce traffic congestion.
“This section of Highway 93 is difficult to work in because it doesn’t have any viable alternate routes and there is a significant amount of traffic,” Schmidt said. “This type of asphalt microsurfacing needed warm and dry daytime conditions in order to cure properly. The benefit of the microsurfacing is that we will not need to come back and chip seal the roadway.”
The remaining rumble strip and striping work is expected to take only a few days to complete. During construction two lanes will remain open, with pilot cars directing traffic past the work zone. MDT expects 15- to 30-minute delays through the work zone.
Current construction information and road conditions throughout Montana can be found on the MDT new Travel Info map at https://www.511mt.net. Questions and comments about this project can be sent to Brandon@rbci.net or by phone at 406-626-7272. For more information about the project visit: https://www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/us93lakeside/