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VICTOR- It took nearly two decades, five different Missoula District administrators and 14 separate projects, but the reconstruction of U.S. Highway 93 between Hamilton to Lolo is officially done!

"All those folks involved, and especially the communities, have come together to make this transformation possible. You are all to be commended and thanked. It is a time for celebration of completion. It is also a beginning. As community partners we must make sure that we maintain this wonderful route for generations to come," Al Mitchell with the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce said.

The 34 mile project took nearly 20 years to complete and involved countless community members and focus groups, many of whom were in attendance at the ceremony. Engineer, and Community Advisory Committee Coordinator, Dick Dyer has been involved with the project from the beginning.

"Now it's been an interesting process as we grew together. We learned to quit worrying about who is right, which kind of put us in our corners and everyone takes position and hunkers down, and we began to focus then on what is right as we move forward and that's been the great miracle of this project from my perspective," Dyer observed.

U.S. Highway 93 now has improved safety facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as 30 different structures that allow wildlife to navigate the major transportation corridor more easily.