ALBERTON — Standing 145 feet above the water and nearly 800 feet long, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is replacing a bridge west of Alberton at a cost of $22 million.
"This bridge is just big, tall and long," said Luke Francis, Missoula District project delivery engineer for MDT.
Francis, along with Che’ Hassan, Missoula District engineering project manager for MDT, is preparing for the project.
"So the eastbound interstate was built in the '70s. Design standards changed between the '60s and '70s. And of course, even more so to the 2020s. And so you'll see a new structure that will look more like the eastbound structure with more beams," Francis said.
Hassan and Francis said they are replacing the bridge entirely because it is more efficient. Francis said repairing bridges often leads to unexpected challenges.
"As things age, we get more and more problems. So hence, the new bridge will solve all those, buy us another 75 years of solid bridge," Francis said.
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For neighbors in the area, such as Auri Fox, the inconvenience of construction is outweighed by the benefits of infrastructure maintenance.
"I'm generally pro-infrastructure. I feel like it's one of the things that's nice about Montana is we have really great roads. And so yeah, maybe inconvenient at times, but personally, if it's better for the long run, then I'm all for it," Fox said.
Construction on the bridge will take place in two phases.
This year, crews will prepare embankments to allow heavy equipment access.
In 2027, crews will begin dismantling the bridge before constructing the replacement.
During construction, drivers can expect one lane of traffic at the bridge.
When completed, the new bridge will have 10-foot shoulders.
