MISSOULA — President Trump signed a bill last week, allocating more than $27 million in federal funding for Western Montana infrastructure projects, including the Noxon Bridge replacement, the Seeley Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant and road repairs from the Bitterroot to the Flathead.
The Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriation Bill secured $32 million for Montana overall. Much of that, $27 million, is going towards funding bridges, roads and water infrastructure in six Western Montana counties.
Both Congressman Ryan Zinke and Senator Tim Sheehy pushed for the funding.
"For years, rural Montana has sent its tax dollars to Washington and watched our critical infrastructure projects get pushed aside while places like Baltimore, Seattle, and Chicago got funding,” Rep. Zinke wrote in a statement. “This funding corrects that. It puts money back into communities that depend on one bridge, one road, or one water treatment plant to function.”
“I’m proud to deliver on these commonsense investments to upgrade critical infrastructure, increase access to high-quality health care, and ensure the needs of Montana’s communities are front and center as we continue working diligently to fund the government,” Sen. Sheehy wrote in a statement.
The funds include $454,000 for rural airports, $10 million for the Seeley Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant and $2.5 million for the Ravalli County Wastewater Treatment Plant. Road projects in Flathead, Sanders and Ravalli counties were also funded.
The funding package also includes $10 million towards the replacement of the Noxon Bridge, a failing but critical path over the Clark Fork River for hundreds in Northwest Montana. The bridge is the only convenient connection between the community of Noxon, Highway 200 and the rest of Sanders County. But, at over 100 years old, the bridge is crumbling. It was even closed for a week due to safety concerns in July 2024.
Locals have long been pushing for a new bridge and for help covering the cost, estimated at around $35 million.
Rep. Zinke and Sen. Sheehy have both lobbied for the project. Rep. Zinke visited Noxon and the bridge. While working to secure the funding, Rep. Zinke said the project was one of his top priorities.
"Noxon Bridge is more than 100 years old, with holes in its deck the size of trash can lids. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, one of my top priorities is making sure federal dollars aren’t wasted on bridges to nowhere or useless programs,” he wrote in a statement. “Instead, I’m fighting to direct those dollars to places like Noxon, where a dependable bridge is not optional and the town has been overlooked for decades."
Sen. Sheehy called the funding a “big win” for the county.
“It’s not too much for the American people to ask that their government puts the interest of our people first, and replacing a failing, century-old bridge to keep families safe, connect our communities, and drive the local economy is common sense,” the Senator wrote.
The Sanders County Commission met with Rep. Zinke's representatives at the end of January, a week before the bill securing the $10 million was signed into law. At the meeting, they said the project would be nearly half funded between the federal funds and what has already been secured from the county and state.
- information from Caroline Weiss included in this report
