Design phase begins on Pipe Creek resurfacing project

The Montana Department of Transportation said this week that it is preparing plans to resurface a section of Pipe Creek Road. However, the project is tentatively scheduled for construction beyond 2012.

“The purpose of the project is to upgrade the road to a modern, safe facility,” MDT officials said in a press release. “The existing pavement will be pulverized and blended with new gravel to form a base for a new, slightly wider pavement. Embankments will be flattened, and roadside ditches enlarged to provide snow storage.”

In addition, two short road segments will be reconstructed to flatten horizontal curves. Other work will include drainage, guardrail, topsoil and seeding, striping, signing and delineation.

A right-of-way acquisition will be necessary along with possible utility relocation.

The project will run from seven miles north of the intersection with Highway 37 to just north of Noisy Creek Road.

A recommendation for road improvements on Pipe Creek Road emerged out of a 2007 study through a collaborative effort with MDT, Kootenai National Forest, Lincoln County, resource agencies and local residents. Based on limited availability of funding in the near future, the five-mile stretch was targeted as the first segment for construction.

For more information, call Shane Stack, engineering services supervisor, at 888-231-5819; Wayne Noem, secondary roads engineer, at 406-444-6109; or Bill Squires, project design engineer, at 406-444-6228. For the hearing impaired, the TTY number is 406-444-7696, or call the Montana Relay at 711.

People may submit written comments to: Montana Department of Transportation, Missoula Office, P.O. Box 7030, Missoula, MT 59807-7039, or online at: www.mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml .

On the Net: The corridor study can be found at htpp://www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/libby.