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The U.S. Highway 2 bridge over the South Fork Flathead River near Hungry Horse.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
South Fork Bridge Replacement, U.S. 2
Reconstruction Slated for Next Summer
Transportation o cials preparing to rebuild Hungry Horse bridge, improve highway through Bad Rock Canyon
BY DILLON TABISH OF THE BEACON
As the U.S. Highway 93 Alternate
Route in Kalispell approaches completion this fall, transportation o cials are turn- ing their attention to the next signi cant road project in Northwest Montana: a long-awaited reconstruction of U.S. High- way 2 through Bad Rock Canyon.
Revamping the narrow, two-lane high- way that winds from Columbia Falls to Hungry Horse and replacing the bridge over the South Fork Flathead River have been long-standing priorities for the Mon- tana Department of Transportation. With the help of two federal grants, the project is fully funded and the state agency is moving forward with a tentative timeline of breaking ground next summer.
Ed Toavs, MDT’s district adminis- trator, said the project is near the end of the design phase and bids could open by March 2017. Work could begin by May or June of next year, Toavs said.
“We’ve been looking forward to this project for a long time,” he said.
The project, estimated to cost roughly $16 million, will include reconstructing 4.5 miles of highway near the entrance to Bad Rock Canyon. The new highway will include a shared-use path on the river-sideoftheroadforpedestriansand cyclists. There will also be wider shoul- ders added to the road.
The new bridge will be built just to the west of the current structure, which was originally constructed in 1938. Both the bridge and the rebuilt road will remain
two lanes. The bridge will be designed so an additional two lanes could be added in the future. The alignment will reduce the highway’s sharp curve and will also include a 10-foot wide walkway.
Construction will not interfere with summer tra c, Toavs said, and vehicles will still use the current bridge while the new structure is developed.
“There won’t be any detour,” he said.
A 2012 study determined that the bridge is functionally obsolete and struc- turally de cient, and many aspects of the structure do not meet modern transpor- tation design standards.
Nearly 14,000 vehicles travel through the corridor on an average summer day, according to MDT statistics. The annual average is nearly 7,000 daily vehicles.
The crash rate for the U.S. 2 corridor was nearly 2.5 times higher than the statewide average, according to a 2006- 2010 study. The severity rate was more than three times higher than the state- wide average. There were 45 injuries and ve fatalities during that time period.
After the reconstruction is completed, MDT will have 1.5 miles of U.S. 2 that still need to be revamped. The stretch of road that is most narrow through Bad Rock Canyon presents multiple challenges, Toavs said.
The rocky canyon that parallels the highway is unstable in some areas, mak- ing it di cult to drill into the moun- tainside to widen the road any further, Toavs said. On the other side of the
road, the river traces the highway, cre- ating another challenge when it comes to widening the route. Also, Columbia Mountain holds a spiritual and cultural signi cance to several local tribes. The primary natural gas line to the Flathead Valley also runs underneath U.S. 2, add- ing another element that complicates any construction.
“There are all kinds of issues,” Toavs said.
But Toavs said reconstructing the nal narrow stretch of highway remains a priority, along with adding a shared- use path that would complete the pedes- trian route from Columbia Falls to Hun- gry Horse.
“It’s very much a needed project. It’s just a matter of solving these issues and nding funding,” Toavs said.
Several other smaller transportation projects are slated for the coming years in the Flathead Valley. MDT is working to rehabilitate stretches of Montana High- way 206 south of Columbia Falls. Plans are being developed to add a shoulder to the narrow, two-lane road, which has seen an in ux of tra c in recent years.
MDT plans to work with Kalispell to address heightened tra c ows on West Reserve Drive near White sh Stage Road, as well as Willow Glen, Toavs said.
The state agency also plans to repave primary sections of road through Colum- bia Falls and Evergreen next year, according to Toavs.
dtabish@ atheadbeacon.com
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AUGUST 3, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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