Happy Friday, Beacon readers! Lauren Frick here, with a little PSA relating to everyone’s favorite topic: road construction. Oh, and if you stick around you’ll get a little bonus news nugget about everyone’s other favorite, totally not anxiety-inducing topic: wildfires.
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), in partnership with Knife River – Mountain West Division, is set to resume roadwork on the U.S. 93 West of Whitefish project on Monday, April 20.
MDT will start setting up traffic control today and drivers can expect traffic control to continue through the end of the summer (the schedule is subject to change depending on weather and other unforeseen circumstances, of course).
“Safety remains our top priority,” John Schmidt, MDT’s acting Missoula District Administrator, said in a press release earlier this month. “This spring and summer will conclude construction on this section of roadway. We greatly appreciate the public’s continued patience and understanding as we resume vital work that will enhance this corridor’s safety.”
The work corridor begins near the intersection with Mountainside Drive and extends about three miles west, just past Livermore Flats. Traffic control will include single-lane traffic with reduced speeds and up to 15-minute delays during traffic stops.
The aim of the project on U.S. 93 West of Whitefish is to boost safety along the three-mile coordinator by adding enhancements such as a new driving surface, designated turn lanes, guardrail, wider shoulders, new signage, and a separated shared-use path with Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant handrails and detectable warning devices. Improvements on the stretch of road began in 2025 and will be completed in the 2026 construction season, according to MDT.
Throughout 2026 construction, updates will continue to be distributed via email, webpage and text message. To receive text updates, text to 41411.
In other Whitefish news, the city earlier this month opened its Community Wildfire Protection Plan public survey, meaning residents now have the chance to share their experiences and insights related to wildfire risk and protection in the city.
City council members in January voted to enter a contract with SWCA Environmental Consultants to develop the plan, which will identify areas of risk from wildfires and recommend strategies to reduce wildfire risk in Whitefish and the surrounding areas.
Whitefish abuts extensive forest lands on three of the four sides of the community, with local timberlands owned and managed by the state, the U.S. Forest Service and private entities such as F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co., Weyerhaeuser and Whitefish Mountain Resort. It is ranked as the second most vulnerable city in Montana to wildfire, according to the city documents.
A Whitefish Area Wildfire Protection Plan was developed in 2009 by the Whitefish Area Fire Safe Council, but this plan wasn’t a city procured or managed plan. While Flathead County also has a Community Wildfire Protection Plan — which was most recently updated in 2021— the city’s plan being developed now will be new and specific to Whitefish and the surrounding area.
Recommendations in Community Wildfire Protection Plans often include changes to zoning and building codes, community education regarding property hardening (making homes resistant to embers and flames) and defensible space and emergency communications improvements. The plan will also address evacuation routes.
Tribes, Stakeholder Groups Join Forces to Oppose B.C. Coal Mine Expansion
This week's petition for an independent review panel comes as Indigenous leaders from Montana, Idaho and B.C. close ranks to resist a coal mine expansion proposal in the transboundary Elk-Kootenai river watershed until the decades-old pollution problem is resolved
A Western rock band with a fondness for the road, Radio Ranch always finds its way back to the Flathead Valley music scene. The trio will open for Paul Cauthen on Saturday night at Majestic Valley Arena.
Five districts have levy asks on the ballot, and several have competitive school board races this spring. Ballots were mailed out Friday, and are due back May 5.
Solas is lighting up stages across the globe as they celebrate three decades of pushing boundaries and honoring traditions in Irish music. Hailed by The Boston Globe as “the finest Celtic ensemble this country has ever produced,” Solas continues to captivate audiences by weaving traditional Irish tunes with elements of folk, bluegrass, Americana and contemporary songwriting.
Kitchen Dwellers continue to carve out their own lane in the world of progressive roots music, blending bluegrass, folk, and psychedelic grit into a sound as expansive as their Montana home. The Bozeman-born quartet of Shawn Swain (mandolin), Torrin Daniels (banjo), Joe Funk (upright bass), and Max Davies (acoustic guitar) has grown from regional upstarts into one of the most dynamic and forward-thinking bands in modern string music.
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