GREAT FALLS — The Montana Department of Transportation is beginning a new project on Highway 87 north of Great Falls.
A news release from MDT says that the seven-mile project area will not fully affect the road until spring of 2021, but in order to prepare the area for the work, crews will be placing embankments throughout the work zone in the coming weeks.
As large equipment is in the area, drivers may experience some delays.
“We know Great Falls area residents saw plenty of construction this year,” said Jim Wingerter, MDT Great Falls District Administrator. “This is why we wanted to get a jump on getting the word out to those not only who live in Great Falls, but those who use this roadway north of Great Falls to access recreational sites, the landfill, and neighboring communities. Crews will be piling up dirt to leave for a number of months, but there is good reason for it!”
Crews began initial work on Monday, September 21. First, the topsoil from neighboring hills on both sides of the road will be removed. Then embankment will be unloaded from trucks on to the sides of the road and left to settle until construction on the current road begins in the spring. Wingerter said this is important to ensure that next spring’s construction activities begin on settled ground.
During the embankment placement, speeds will be reduced to 35 miles per hour. Traffic will be controlled by pilot car operations during the embankment placement process. There will be signs indicating shoulder work where drivers will need to slow down, causing minor delays. No road closures will occur, but drivers are encouraged to stay alert for posted signs. The construction activities won’t have major impacts to traffic this fall, but MDT wants residents and drivers to know of these impacts early.
MDT says that public input is an important step for all road projects. If you have questions, call the project hotline at 406-207-4484 during regular business hours. You can also sign up to receive updates by texting “GREATFALLSNORTH” to 41411. For more information about the project, click here to visit the project webpage on the MDT website.
We do not yet know details of the overall project, and are working to get more information.
