GREAT FALLS — Maureen Lauden knows River Drive North well: “Well, I walk here every day, so I ought to know,” the Great Falls resident said.
She’s witnessed all the recent construction, and is happy to see improvements come around, including the flashing light pedestrian walkways.
“They’re a great idea because people do come zooming down this road,” Lauden said, “So you had to kind of stop and wait for your time to cross.”
Even with construction on Maureen’s route, she understands that it is part of city living.
“I have no complaints,” Lauden said, “I think they’ve kept the road up nicely.”
- Moose wanders in Great Falls
- 2 motorcyclists die in crash
- SCUBA diving in Flathead Lake
- Fake post about dangerous criminal
Three miles of Great Falls roads, including parts of River Drive North, will be soon resurfaced as part of the Urban Pavement Preservation project.
“It’s a project designed to increase the useful life of the roads and make them just a better traveling surface for the public,” said Rich Hibl, the Great Falls District Construction Engineer for Montana Department of Transportation.
“We’re actually going to start later this week,” Hibl said. “We should be milling and paving through the week, probably a good part of next week.”
According to the MDT, the project will include new pavement markings, signage, sidewalk and curb adjustments, and one Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) curb reconstruction.
Hibl says the project will affect commute times, and that people should be aware when driving through the construction zone.
“People should be prepared to take a little bit longer to get to work,” Hibl said. “There will be restricted traffic through the project area, sometimes single lane sometimes two lane, two way, just depends on what is going on at the time.”
The locations are:
River Drive North:
- Work: Texas Underseal treatment from just north of Central Avenue West to 6th Street North, followed by a scrub seal treatment from 6th Street North to west of 9th Street North where asphalt meets concrete.
- Distance: Approximately 1 mile.
- Additional Work: Milling, paving, and new signage. ADA curb reconstruction where the River’s Edge Trail crosses the road (on the east side of the crossing).
Park Drive North:
- Work: Texas Underseal treatment from 8th Avenue North to 2nd Avenue North.
- Distance: Approximately half a mile.
- Additional Work: Milling, paving, and new signage. Removal and replacement of part of the curb and sidewalk at the southwest corner of Park Drive North and 6th Street North with a full-height curb, replacing the removed sidewalk with sod.
Park Drive North / 2nd Street South:
- Work: Scrub seal treatment from 1st Avenue North to the intersection of 2nd Avenue South and 2nd Street South, then continuing south on 2nd Street South to 10th Avenue South.
- Distance: Approximately 1 mile.
6th Street North:
- Work: Scrub seal treatment from 8th Avenue North to River Drive North, including turn lanes.
- Distance: 0.1 miles.
3rd Avenue South:
- Work: Scrub seal treatment from 2nd Street South to River Drive South.
- Distance: 0.1 miles.
Weather and other unforeseen factors permitting, the project is expected to last through the end of 2024.
Specific sections may be temporarily closed, and drivers may need to take alternate routes.
Click here for more information about the project.
