Veronica PiscitelliThe Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is replacing 11 aging, central Montana bridges. The Lewistown Area Bridges-DAR Structures Project, in its initial design phase, will replace the bridges in anticipation of growth and increased traffic in the region.
The project is in collaboration with the Department of Defense (DoD) and is partially funded through the Defense Access Road (DAR) program, which supports essential highway improvements for defense initiatives. The replacement of the bridges will help support active growth in the region due to the Sentinel Missile Project at the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Cascade County. The project requires safe and efficient transport of heavy loads through the area. Replacing the aging bridges will help achieve this goal.
MDT Billings District Administrator Mike Taylor said the agency is “thrilled to collaborate with partners in replacing this critical infrastructure.” He hopes the project “will help ensure that [Montana’s] infrastructure keeps pace with the needs of growing communities” while “enhancing transportation and connectivity to support regional growth and economic development.”
A total of 11 bridges across central Montana will be replaced throughout the project. Eight of the bridges are located on Montana Highway 81 (MT 81) between the intersections with Montana Highway 80 (MT 80), west of Denton, and US Highway 191 (US 191), north of Lewistown. One bridge is located on Montana Secondary Highway 400 (S 400) southwest of Hobson, while another on Montana Secondary Highway 238 (S 238) southeast of Lewistown. The final bridge is located on Montana Secondary Highway 297 (S 297) north of Shawmut.
Construction is expected to start in the spring of 2026, but Senior Bridge Engineer at Morrison-Maierle, Jim Scoles, said “work is already underway on these vital bridge replacements.” The exact schedule and sequence for replacing the bridges has not yet been determined, but the project is set to end in the summer of 2028. This is subject to change due to the completion of the final designs, material availability, weather and other unforeseen circumstances.
The remaining funding for the project is still being determined. However, it will likely come from federal funds. The total cost of the project is also still undetermined but was estimated to be between $15 million to $20 million total in the MDT Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan from July 2024. Scoles encouraged “the community to stay informed, ask questions and share their insights to help shape the project’s success.”
Photo Courtesy
Tony Webster via Wikimedia Commons
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
