The Montana Department of Transportation is currently working on a project to replace the Fort Benton Bridge over the Missouri River on Highway 80. They hosted a public meeting in Fort Benton to inform the public and answer questions.
Originally built in 1962, the current bridge deck is in poor condition, and has a narrow roadway with little to no shoulder width. The $30 million project aims to improve the passage for trucking through Chouteau County as well as safety for pedestrians.
Project Manager for the Montana Department of Transportation Jeremy Taylor explains, “It's one of those bridges that can't really be rehabbed and expanded very well, so it just needs to be replaced. It’s going to have wider shoulders than what it has now, so it's going to be safer for not only the traveling public and cars, but also for anybody who may be using it to walk or bike across it as well."
A temporary bridge structure will be built for use during construction of the new bridge to divert traffic. Taylor says, “What that will allow them to do is get traffic onto that detour bridge and out of their way so they can then start work on the new structure. But first, what they'll have to do before they can start building the new one is they'll build a work bridge and then they'll remove that existing structure."
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Construction is expected to begin in 2027, and be complete in 2028.
At the public meeting, the agency answered questions from the community about how they will be impacted by the project.
Taylor says, “We've also talked to some of the adjacent landowners for the detour structure as well, they were curious how they would be impacted. That's the kind of stuff we love to be able to do at these public meetings is, you know, get with those people face to face, answer those direct questions."
According to MDT, construction of the bridge will not impact water intake to the water treatment plant upstream, and will have special attention and environmental considerations to:
- Nearby walking trails (i.e. Steamboat Levee Walk)
- The Missouri River and adjacent wetlands
- Federally endangered pallid sturgeons
- Existing soil contamination near the southeast corner of Front Street and 13th Street
- Historic buildings and district
- River recreation during construction
Taylor encourages anyone with questions to reach out to him or the Montana Department of Transportation, saying “We're always, always open for other questions if anybody's got any concerns, do not ever be afraid to reach out to us, and I will say that not only for this project, but all of our projects at MDT."
More information on the Fort Benton Bridge Project, as well as MDT contact information, can be found here.
