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Kalispell Gears up For Water, Road Projects

City will replace water main under Conrad Drive, First Avenue West North

By Justin Franz
Map of new sewer main to be built this year.

The City of Kalispell is gearing up for construction season.

On March 18, the Kalispell City Council approved more than a half-dozen contracts for materials and services that will be used in the coming months on a number of road and water projects.

Two of the most visible construction projects will be the replacement of two water mains underneath Conrad Drive and First Avenue West North, according to Public Works Director Susie Turner.

The First Avenue WN Water Distribution Improvement Project was awarded to LHC, Inc. and is expected to cost approximately $411,300. Contractors will replace the current water main, a 6-inch cast iron water main put in the ground back in the 1920s, with a more modern 8-inch polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe from the southern terminus of First Avenue WN (near the Kalispell Center Mall) north of Washington Street.

The Conrad Drive Water Main Replacement Project was awarded to White’s Civil Contracting and is expected to cost $363,657. Contractors will replace 1,276 feet of pipe from Woodland Avenue to College Avenue, near Woodland Park.

“It’s an old water main and we’ve seen a number of breaks in that area,” Turner said.

It’s unclear when either project will begin, but Turner said the city would inform local residents well ahead of time so that they can plan for any possible road closures.

This spring, contractors will also be putting the finishing touches on the West Side Interceptor Project, a multi-million dollar wastewater project that when completed will help alleviate an over-burdened sewage system. The project included the construction of 45,000 feet of sewage main from downtown Kalispell north to the intersection of U.S. Highway 93 and West Reserve Drive. The West Side Interceptor Project was the largest public works project in Kalispell since the wastewater treatment plant was upgraded a decade ago. Turner said most of the work was completed last year, and once the snow melts, contractors will tie up a few loose ends. The city expects to get the system up and running by summer.

The city council also approved the contracts for a number of pavement preservation and chip seal projects that will occur over the summer. Turner said two major chip-sealing applications would happen at the Silverbrook and Mountain Vista developments. Most of the chip seal projects will be covered by state and federal funds the city received through the Bridges and Road Safety and Accountability Act.

Also during the March 18 city council meeting, the city approved the acquisition of three new patrol vehicles for the Kalispell Police Department at a cost of approximately $121,878. The vehicles will replace two sedans and an SUV that have anywhere from 93,000 miles to 119,000 miles on the odometer.