Landowners surrounding Bigfork’s downtown bridge consulted by MDT

Montana Department of Transportation hosted a listening session on Thursday, August 1 for landowners adjacent to Bigfork’s downtown Bridge Street Bridge.  

“We wanted to find out from these landowners how they felt about night construction and also work on Saturdays with the goal of trying to finish the project as quickly as possible,” said Sloane Stinson, Account Executive at Big Sky Public Relations, representing the project.  

Following previous community feedback, MDT and Flathead County planned to replace the current bridge with a similar steel truss structure. The new bridge will be approximately the same length as the current one and the location will not change. Construction will enable emergency response vehicles to pass over the bridge, as well as a sidewalk meeting ADA requirements.  

Twenty-six people attended the Thursday meeting, and Stinson reported an overall positive response from the community, though an open deadline for comment remained.  

“There aren’t a lot of details yet, because we’re still trying to figure out how to do this as quickly as possible and what people will be comfortable with,” she explained.  

Construction has been tentatively scheduled for winter 2025. Stinson reported that MDT will attempt to put the project out to bid in late September. Utilities work will start late fall to early winter. The truss has already been secured to expedite the process once a contractor is hired.  

Before construction begins, there will be more time to collect feedback from adjacent landowners as well as an open house for more public comment.  

Questions regarding the project can be directed to Stinson, 406-880-1057 or sloane@bigskypublicrelations.com.