Keri Neal was sick of sitting in her friend’s car at the north side of Salmon Lake, so she decided to dance.
Neal and her friend Jack visited Seeley Lake from Missoula for the day to sunbathe and swim. Although the two come to Seeley each year, the reconstruction of Highway 83 on Salmon Lake Road came as a shock — and a future deterrent.
“I think I’ll wait to come back up when all this is done,” Neal said. “I don’t want to have to deal with this again.”
Residents and visitors alike have waited in lines around the Southwest Crown of the Continent as major construction projects have congested roads, with more on the way.
This week, crews broke ground on projects near Swan Lake and Bonner, although both are less intensive than Salmon Lake. The design-to-build aspect of Salmon Lake has brought an overhaul of equipment and workers, who now are working 24 hours a day, six days a week.
Kiewit is leading the project, which hopes to have two-thirds of the road done this year.
Workers will continue on construction until the first snow flies, according to Lisa Gray, a spokesperson for the project. Gray said with all the traffic from the Fourth of July, construction organizers have made changes to shorten wait lengths.
This includes shortening the length between traffic lights to 1.5 miles during the day, and instead working on the full 2.5 miles at night. Gray also said heavy machinery will primarily work at night to limit delays on the one lane section of the road.
Delays can still set a person back 30 minutes or more. Gray said mornings are usually less busy than the afternoon, and Thursday through Saturday are usually the most congested.
“The Montana Department of Transportation and Kiewit Infrastructure Co. appreciate the public’s patience while we work on this scenic and challenging section of road,” MDT Engineering Project Manager Matt Straub said in an email. “We are working hard to complete the project on time, within budget, and with the least inconvenience to the traveling public!”
While the Salmon Lake project has a gravel pit being dug just a mile away for asphalt, the Montana Department of Transportation has yet to approve the pit as its supplier of road materials, according to Gray.
Further testing will be needed before the agency contracts LHC Construction on the pit.
Some members of the public contacted the Pathfinder to ask how the stoplights function automatically, and what happens if they flash yellow. Gray said the automated lights have cameras that monitor traffic volume and speed.
If the light flashes yellow, people should proceed with caution, Gray said, as the light should be comparable to any state approved stoplight. Recently, however, the traffic light has been upgraded to include a human operator, who makes the decision to switch lights.
To get weekly updates on the Salmon Lake project, email lisa.gray@hdrinc.com. You can also check weekly updates at http://www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/salmonlake/updates.aspx. Kiewit would be the contact for any hiring-related questions.
On the north end of the Seeley-Swan valley, the 18-mile Swan Lake improvement project will soon start delays on Highway 83.
Laura Langdon, the public information coordinator for the Swan Lake project, said the maintenance project will start phase one alongside the lake itself. The lead on phase one is LHC construction, while phase two will be contracted through Knife River.
The work will include new pavement, seal and cover, lane striping, signage, guardrails, bridge work at Lion Creek and quieter rumble strips.
“It’s a little more intensive than normal repairs,” Langdon said.
In August, the construction is planned to move into phase two, which is divided into two sections. One south below Swan Lake, and the other north of Condon at Lion’s creek to the Missoula-Lake County border.
At times, construction will keep lanes down to one lane, and a pilot car will be required.
Near Bonner, there will be road paving on Highway 200 for 7.5 miles. Most of the work will be done at night, according to the Montana Department of Transportation. Much of that work has already been completed.
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