Teamwork among multiple local, state and federal agencies has landed $7.6 million for four road improvement projects in Flathead County, including the effort to replace the narrow bridge on U.S. Highway 2 near Hungry Horse.
The projects were included in the Federal Lands Access and Federal Lands Transportation programs, as part of the current federal highway bill Congress passed for fiscal years 2013 and 2014.
The Hungry Horse West Project was awarded the most money – $3.3 million – of the four approved projects. This project will replace the bridge spanning the South Fork of the Flathead River on Highway 2 outside of Hungry Horse, includes a shared-use path and will address other issues plaguing the bridge. The entire project has a $15 million price tag.
The Pleasant Valley Road Relocation Project received the second-highest amount of money at $2.9 million, which will be put toward relocating about four miles of Pleasant Valley Road out of wetland area in the Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge.
Two projects slated for Blacktail Road were also awarded funding, with $1.1 million awarded for 1.75 miles of surface improvements starting from the current end of the pavement, and $300,000 for planning and design work addressing “safety and resource impacts” on the rest of the road, through to its end at Blacktail Mountain Ski Area, according to a statement from Flathead National Forest.
Construction on the projects is expected to occur between 2014 and 2017.
Ideas for such projects have been bandied about for years, Wade Muehlhof of the Flathead National Forest said, but the roadblocks have often been related to funding.
“It’s been ‘Where’s the money going to come from?’” Muehlhof said.
This funding could help get these projects off the ground, he said.
According to Flathead County Administrator Mike Pence, the roads in question are county roads that lead to federal lands, and it would have been up to Flathead County to foot the entire bill of the construction costs were it not for these federal dollars.
“This program is really a positive thing for the county; it provides the majority of the funding,” Pence said. “We think this is truly a win-win.”
The county will be responsible for the 13 percent match funding, Pence said.
Agencies involved include the Flathead National Forest, Glacier National Park, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Montana Department of Transportation and Flathead County.
Each project also includes matching funds requirements. According to Muehlhof, the Western Federal Lands Highway Division of the Federal Highway Administration will determine a lead delivery agency for the projects, as well as develop funding agreements with its state and local agency partners.