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KALISPELL - President Obama's $787 billion stimulus is not even a year old, but some Montana counties are already benefiting from the millions of dollars they received from it.

An alternative truck route has been a conversation in the Flathead for decades, even before Jim Lynch, now the Director,of the Montana Department of Transportation, was still just a Flathead Valley resident.

So for many long time Flathead residents like Lynch the dirt moving on the Kalispell Bypass is encouraging to see.

"It's exciting to see the construction start on the bypass its been decades in the making" added Kalispell City Chamber President Joe Unterreiner.

The stimulus package gave Montana a large amount of money and without it the site of construction might be unscathed. "One project is $13 million and the other is over $7 million, and that's money we didn't have in Montana to get 93 moving" explained Lynch.

Federal stimulus dollars are paying for two projects for the Kalispell Bypass, one of them will connect Airport Road to Foys Lake Road and eventually get truck traffic out of downtown Kalispell.

"I think it going to create a more vibrant downtown and create opportunity for merchants and retailers" Unterreiner told us.

And now it's hard not to see the construction, especially for Foys Lake residents as the section of the Bypass that is being carved out of the hillside.

"You could first come through here and never saw this before, now to actually look out your window and be like wow they are really getting far and doing some digging" Foys Lake resident Roger Baker said.

All of the digging is creating jobs, especially at a time when unemployment in the Flathead stands on shaky ground.

"Taking taxpayers dollars and investing it in to taxpayer's assets is what's happening here and is providing employment opportunities, very much needed for Flathead contractors" Lynch stated.

"We're optimistic that things will be up by this fall and what a great thing it will be for this valley" Unterreiner concluded.

However you view the President's stimulus package, when it comes to numbers, the Flathead has gotten their fair share of federal dollars with a check of $23 million paying for the Kalispell Bypass which is currently under construction.

Some other projects in Flathead County that have also picked up some federal help. Glacier National Park got the most money, $50 million, to help fund construction on the Going to the Sun Road and put restoration efforts toward the Many Glacier Hotel. The Flathead National Forest is set to receive $24.6 million for road and bridge maintenance and trail reconstruction while $2 million went to a low income westernization program in Flathead County. And the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls also received $1.5 million.