SEELEY LAKE - The Salmon Lake Highway Reconstruction project team presented proposed improvements to Highway 83 along the east side of Salmon Lake during two outreach meetings at the end of October. Montana Department of Transportation and Project Managers shared information about the proposed roadway widths, improved alignment, plans for slope mitigations and rockfall areas and other safety improvements.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2022 and be completed in the spring of 2024. MDT is working with HDR design consultant and contractor Kiewit Infrastructure Company to develop a construction staging plan that preserves access and promotes mobility for resident and traveling public. Working with the road contractor allows area stakeholders an avenue to express concerns during construction like keeping the road open for safety.
Currently Highway 83 around Salmon Lake is a two-lane highway with 12-foot travel lanes and minimal shoulders.
The proposed roadway generally follows the old road and the roadway curves will be improved to meet current design standards. While the travel lanes will remain 12 foot, three- to four-foot shoulders will be added on both sides and will accommodate bicycles.
In the proposal, the intersection of Woodworth Road and Highway 83 will be realigned creating a more perpendicular intersection with improved sight distance. Private approaches and driveways will also be redesigned with input from the landowner. This will improve sight distance in both directions and clear vegetation obstructions within the roadway right-of-way.
The current plan maintains the existing pullouts. They will be paved and 24-foot wide.
The slope of the ditches adjacent to the roadside will be flattened where possible to improve roadside safety. The size of the ditches will also be increased to better handle snow storage, drainage and rockfall.
In addition to improving the ditches, the current design includes concrete barrier rails at all three large cut slopes within the project limits. A 10-foot ditch will be provided behind the concrete barrier to allow for rockfall storage and improved maintenance to clear debris from the area.
“From a motorist’s perspective, it will look similar to what is there now with the exception of the additional rockfall storage areas,” wrote HDR Public Involvement Lead Lisa Gray in an email.
Retaining walls will be built to widen the road along the lakeside. These will be visible from Salmon Lake.
Additional project details include sizing a culvert to provide fish passage and removing vegetation near the roadway.
The estimated cost of the project is $24 million. Montana’s roads and bridges are mainly funded through a combination of federal (88.5%) and state/local (11.5%) funding sources. MDT receives no funding from Montana’s general fund revenue. Federal road and bridge revenues are generated from highway users through gasoline and diesel fuel taxes and apportioned to states through federal highway legislation.
During the in-person meeting, Gray said the public were concerned about construction staging and sequencing.
“The project team is still working through these details and the contractor (Kiewit) will provide additional details on the proposed traffic control methods as the design progresses and we reach final design,” Gray wrote. “One-way travel is anticipated in some areas of the project due to the geographical constraints within this corridor.”
The project team anticipates one more public meeting, likely late spring/early summer of 2022, to provide updates on the design and additional information on construction. Gray said they will continue to discuss other outreach opportunities including attending the Seeley Lake Market and local festivals.
For more information, to comment or ask a question, the public is encouraged to visit the project website https://www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/salmonlake/. Comments on the project can be made at any time.
Reader Comments(0)