The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and L & J Construction Group are beginning work on a project to rehabilitate 38 bridges south of Missoula on US Highway 93 (US 93), Secondary Highway 269 (S 269), Secondary Highway 531 (S 531), Secondary Highway 203 (S 203), and Bell Crossing West.
The purpose of this project is to repair and seal the bridge decks to increase their service life in a cost-effective manner. Planned improvements include repairing the bridge decks, minor joint repair, crack sealing the bridge decks, smoothing bridge-roadway approaches, and new pavement markings.
Each bridge has been evaluated and will receive select improvements from the list above.
Due to the nature of the project, traffic controls will vary from bridge to bridge. On bridges that normally have one lane in each direction, motorists can expect single-lane traffic controlled by flaggers. On bridges that normally have two lanes in each direction, traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction and crossover traffic patterns will be in effect. Construction zones will have reduced speed limits and motorists may encounter delays of up to 15 minutes.
Wide loads may be restricted on a case-by-case basis for the construction zones. Visit 511mt.net for the most up-to-date information on width restrictions and other traffic control.
Work on this project is anticipated to be completed in a single season.
More information about the planned improvements and construction activities can be found at: mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/southmissoula/. For current traffic conditions and up-to-date restrictions visit 511mt.net.
The public is encouraged to contact Tyler Manning at Tyler@rbci.net or 406-333-7215 with questions.