KALISPELL – Crews are busy making repairs to a heavily traveled road in Kalispell before winter weather arrives.
The Montana Department of Transportation is replacing North Meridian Road with a new surface with crews working between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. to repair the rough, aging road from the intersection of West Idaho Street and Sunset Boulevard.
As work continues, crews may shut down the intersection traffic lights during nighttime work hours and control traffic using flaggers. Drivers are asked to use caution around construction personnel and anticipate delays of up to five to 10 minutes.
MDT District Construction Engineer Bob Vosen says this type of pavement preservation helps improve the condition of the road while increasing its longevity at a fraction of the cost of more intensive rehabilitative efforts.
He added that MDT is trying to get it in before winter to stop any further damage to the roadway preserving to save taxpayer dollars. The first phase of the project is expected to be finished in mid-October, as long as the weather cooperates.
“One of my big concerns was getting this work done yet this fall before we run into full winter of freeze-thaw cycles,” Vosen said. “Stop the potholes that people would not be very pleased with throughout the winter and save a lot of time and energy from our maintenance folks as well.”
The upgrades are part of the Kalispell Urban Project which is a larger effort to update and preserve roads in central Kalispell.
Crews will return to North Meridian Road in the spring for chip sealing to complete the project.
-Nicole Miller reporting for MTN News
