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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNewsline June 2006Beartooth Ali-American Road Opens for SUmmer Travel Roosters celebrated the seasonal open- ing of the Beartooth Highway (U.S. 212) May 27 in Red Lodge with food, entertainment, and a spirit of optimism. Because of severe winter weather, the highway is norraally closed from mid- October to late May. The opening day celebration, hosted by Friends of the Bear- tooth All-American Road, has become an annual event in Red Lodge. Last year, massive mudslides closed the highway just before the start of the summer tourist season making this year's celebration es- pecially festive. , The mudslides damaged the roadway at 13 sites resulting in one of the largest emergency repair efforts ever undertaken by MDT. Thanks to innovative in-the- field engineering and a cooperative effort involving MDT, FHWA, and Montana's congressional delegation, repairs were completed last October ahead of schedule and under the projected cost. On April 21, MDT Director Jim Lynch trav- eled to the Beartooth Highway to see for him. setf how repairs held up over the winter. Pictured with Mr. Lynch is Kyle DeMars, MDT Red Lodge Section Supervisor. The U.S. Department of Transporta- tion designated the Beartooth Highway an All-American Road in June 2002. The title recognizes the highway's unique beauty and status as a "destination unto itself." Tri. Party Gathering Works to ImProve Traffic Safety on ReServations The fa'st Traffic Safety Tri-party Gathering was held in April to dis. cuss a'affie safety behavioral issues on Montana reservations. Representatives from the Montana Department of Trans- portation met with uibal law enforcement and tribal council members from the Blackfeet, Chippewa Crce, Fort Belknap, Fort Peck, Northern Cheyenne, Confeder- ated Salish and Kootenai, and Little Shell nations. Representatives from the Mon- tana Highway Patrol, the Governor's Of- rice, the Federal Highway Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also took part. With support from tribal leaders, positive slrides were made in moving to- ward developing an agreement that would lead m a statewide effort to reduce traffic fatalities in Montana. Aa integral past of this is for each tribe to acknowledge that traffic safety is an important issue on u'ibal lands. While Native Americans make up approximately 6.2 percent of Montana's population, they represented 19.7 percent of Montana motor vehicle fatalities in 2004. Key to reducing fatalities is in- creasing safety belt usage. Between 2003 and 2005, 92 percent of Native Americans killed in traffic accidents in Montana were not wearing safety belts; and of those fa- talitius, 93.6 percent were alcohol-related. A number of recommendations re- suited from the meeting including encour- aging all ~bal governments to develop their own comprehensive safety plan. This will strengthen traffic safety coordi- nation on reservations and impmvc access to grant funds. S :hSot 91 Coming Soon! MDT is developing a new Safe Routes to School Program that will support efforts to improve student safety at or near Montana's elementary and middle schools. Watch for future Newsline arti- cles about this new program or visit http:// www.mdt, rnt.gov/pubinvolve/saferoutes/ for more information. First Lady Nancy Schweitzer Unveils MDT's First Geological Marker With the help of Helena schoolchildren, Jim Lynch and Nancy Schweitzer unveiled Monzana' s first geological marker at the Lyon's Creek parking area in Wolf Creek Canyon. On June 8, First Lady Nancy Schweitzer and MDT Director Jim Lynch, along with students of various ages, cele- brated the kick-off of MDT's new geologi- cal marker program. The sign, located north of Helena at Lyon's Creek parking area on Interstate 15, is the In'st of 15 geo- logical markers to be installed along Mon- tana h/ghways. "Science is exciting and full of discovery," said Mrs. Schweitzer. "The geological road signs are a way to enjoy science as a family and to learn about so many of the natural wonders of Montana." Montana's colorful history includes stories told through geology. Each inturpretive sign explaLns geologic wonders of thc Treasure State, as well as a bit of Montana history. Thc markers also snggcst a "gee-activity" for motorists as they travel through the ama. The program serves to spark an interest in geology, supporting the Governor and First Lady's Math and Science Initiative, which encourages students in Montana to discover the wonders of Montana. The markers are a coUaborafien between MDT; Dr. Donald Hyndmau, co-author of the popular book Roadside Geology of Montana; renowned Montana paleontologist lack Homar; the Montana's first geological roadside marker, "A Perfect Defile: The Pricldy Pear Canyon," explains the origins of the colorful red and green mudstones visible along Interstate 15 just north of Helena in Wolf Creek Canyon. The marker also includes information on the history of the roadway and a "gee-activity" for travelers. Montana State University Geology Department; and geologist Dr. David Baker of Monarch, Montana. "With some 11 billion miles traveled on Montana's public roads each year, these roadside markers are a great way to en- hance travel for Montanans and our guests," said Jim Lynch. MDT is installing markers at existing rest areas, parking areas, and pull-outs. Signs are schcdulad for installation in the coming weeks at the Columbus Rest Area on Interstate 90 and the Alberton park- ing ama on 1-90 west of Alberton` The remaiulng interpretive signs will be installed by the end of summer. Boxing Knapweed S Potted lmapweed has been overtak- ing rangaland in the western United States and Canada since the late 1800s. This na- tive of Central Europe and Asia was intro- duced to North Amer- ica in contaminated crop seed and dis- This is the insectary at Harrison in 2004. carded ship ballast. It Note the metal flashing used to confine the is now found in every insects. Photo by Todd BreitenfeMt. county m Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. An aggressive invader, it adapts well to a wide range of habitats displacing native plants, reducing wildlife and livestock forage, and increasing soil erosion. In Montana, spot- ted knapweed is esffmated to cause $42 million th damage to agriculta~ and wild- lands every year. MDT is taking a new approach to knocking out spot~i knapweed. Currently, the Depart- ment is helping eight K- 12 school systems build inscctaries where stu- dents can cultivate in- sects to kill spotted knapwead. Thc students hand harvest the insects and release them along highways and adjoining areas infected with spot- ted knupwead. MDT has obligated $35,000 to purchase and release the insects within select counties and to develop inscc- turies at participating schools. Whitehall students collect root-boring weevils along the edge of their insectary in 2003. Photo by Todd Breitenfeldt. Boxing Knapweed continued... The school systems currently involved are the Townsend School District; Boneur Junior High; Victor and Whitehall High Schools; Secley Lake; and the Darby, Noxon, and Eureka County public echonis. MDT is providing each pmicipating school system $2,500 a year for two years. Whitehall's program includes training for educators and is therefore receiving $5,000 a year for two years. The schools are using root- boring weevils (Cyphocleonus aehates) and seedhead weevils (Larinns minutus) as their ammuni- tion. The insectarles are approxi- mately 100 feet by 30 feet and are enclosed with metal flashing. The flashing is inserted four inches into the ground and extends eight inches above it. Students plant knapweed within the flashing and release pur- chased insects inside. Dan Williams, MDT Maintenance Division, esti- mated that the female insects will lay I00 larvae annually, and the surviving insects will multiply 90 thnes. After the insects have matured, the students capture and release them along infested roadways and fields. They monitor progress using photographs of the area and a GPS system to locate the sites. The GPS systom also allows students to mtorn to the site later to monitor the pmgreas of the insects and theft effectiveness. According to Williams, rmmy landowners are jumping at the opportunity for students to release the insects near their property. The insects are host-specific and feed solely on knapwead. Root-boring weevils kill knapweed by burrowing into the plant's root system and eating the root. The seedhead weevils land on the plant's blossoms and lay larvae on the seeds. The larvae, when hatched, feed on the fiorets and seeds of the plant. These two insect species are the same ones that help keep spotted knapweed under control in Asia, where it is believed to have originated. By reintroducing the insects to knapweed in Montana, MDT hopes to help balance the plant ecosystem. The biological approach is a "slowly but surely" method because as the insects travel, they kill knapweed and inhibit future growth. Chemical herbi- cides, although immediately effec- tive, kill only the sprayed weeds, and the chemicals do not spread beyond that specific urea. Williams explains that MDT can spray and kill koapweed along highways, but if the adjacent land- owner is not able to continue con- trolling the knapweed, it will sim- ply redevelop. Keapweed is considered Mon- tane's number one problem weed. It spreads rapidly as seeds hitch rides on vehicles, humans, animals, wind, and water. Seeds can remain viable in the soil for seven to ten years. MDT uses a number of methods to manage every problem weed and is excited about the interest these schools are showing in the fight against lmapweed. Although biological weed control is not immediately effe~-- five, Williams believes it will be incredibly efficient in the lori~ run. t ~s a great way to educate youth and employ another method of control, instead of depending solely on herbicides?~; he said. ~ MDT's Statewide Roadside Vegetation Management Plan is available on the lnternct at http://www.mdt, mt.gov/ : publications/docs/manuals/weed_mgrnt_plan.pdf. For more fommfion, contact Dan Williarn~ at ddd 7604 (dawilliams@mt.go~). Spotted knapwand isle member of the sunflower family. It has a deep taproot and produces abundant flow- ers that range in color from oink .to purple. A single plant can yield 1,000 seeds. The dark fringe on the tips of the bracts under the petals creates the spored appearance that gives this plant its'name. Root--boring weevils are wide- Sandhead weevils are extremely sorea(~ in Europ~ where they held , : effective in destroying ~napweed keep Knapweed under control. The brown and graymoffied insects are little over 1/'2 inch ong and feed pray on spotted and diffuse Kna~- weed. Although adults will eat weed'leaves, they. do the most herin n their larval stage when they feert on the plant~staproot. seed during their larval stage. They overwintar in ground litter emerging in late spring~ The brown,gray weevils are a little less than ://4 inch long with a large bulbous snout. Like their reot-bonng cousins, seeanea~ wee- vits feed exclusively: on spotted and diffuse knapweeo. White Sulphur Springs Children Learn Cycling Skills at the BicYcle Roadeo Members of the Christian Motorcycle Association performed mechanical checks on participants' bicycles. Overcastskies did not discourage ch/Idmn in Winte Sulphur Springs from participating in the third annual Bicycle Safety RoMeo held Satur- day, May 20, at the Meaghar County Court- house. The roadeo is spen- sured by the Born Again Bikers Chapter of the Christian Motomycle As- sociation (CMA). Thirty children partici- pated in thc event, which began as a local midistty and outreach pmgrarn. Thc roadeo has grown to include bicycle skill-building and education- CMA members signed in children, recorded bicycle regis- tration ambers, performed bicycle maintenance checks, and fitted helmets. Following registration, children listened to in- structions and then practiced various bicycle skills. These skills included "riding the plank," winch required the cyclists to ride their bicycles along a straight, marked line; approaching and obeying stop signs; quick-stopping within a box; riding in circles; and using hand signals. Other activities included an obstacle course and a "slow race" where the object was to maimain centxol of the bicycle at the slowest possible speed. Meagher County Undersheriff Jon Lopp spoke to the chil- dren about bicycle laws. rules of the mad, and safe places to ride. Born Again Bikers purchased three bicycles as drawing prizes and provided helmets for children who did not have them. CMA has received great community support in providing bicycle safety information to the children of Winte Sulphur Springs, Local businesses featured the prizes in their stores. Stageline Pizza and Theatre, Edward's Grocery, Mile High Supply, Spa Motel and Hot Springs, Happy Days Cafe, and the Track Stop Cafe provided a variety of vouchers and coupons including swim passes, pizza coupons, and ice-cream cone vouchers. As the skies cleaned on a beautiful afternoon, sponsors drew names for pri~s, including the highly anticipated bicy- cles. Following the festivities, many of the participants had an opportunity to practice their new skills during a quick sprint to the cafe to redeem theh' ice-cream cone vouchers. For more information on bicycle and pedestrian safety, contact Para Langve-Davis, MDT's bicyclist and pedeslrian coordinator, at 444-9273 or plangvedavis@mt.gov. Above left, a youngster exits the obstacle course at the White Sulphur Springs Bicycle Safety Roadeo. At Hght, another participant practices controlling ht's bike as he "rides the plank." Audrey Allums Picked to Head Transit Section 2~ udrey Allures was recently ~[ ~chosan to supervise MDT's Transit Section. In her new position she will be responsible for develop- lng and administering Montana's transit programs. Audrey grew upon a farm out- side of Flandreso, South Dakota, and graduated from Chadron State College in Nebraska with a bache- MDT Transit Section lor's degree in Education for Politi- Supervisor Audrey Allume cai Science and Communications. She is currently working on a mas- ter's degree th transportation policy, operations, and logistics from George Mason University. Audrey began her caweer in public service in 1986 as an EMT trainer in South Dakota. She quickly moved to a gra~ts management position in the state's Highway Safety Office and in 1991 moved to Montana to take a similar positiolm Over the next 13 years, she worked in various positions atthe Depart- ment nf Justice. She was the state Juvenile Justice Specialist for four years overseeing federal grant funds for juvemle crime and delinquency prevention. For the last two years, she has worked in the MDT Highway Traffic Safety Office coontinafing fund- ing and resources to reduce traffic fatalities. "I am truly looking fiTtward to the move to the Transit Pro- gram," Audrey says. "This is a wonderful opportunity to work with a g~at staff to provide services fi)r the people of Montana." For more information on MDT's Ixausit programs, contact Audrey at a.~d n. 210 or aallums@rnt, gov. 4 Composting Road Kill ~1} oad kill is not only an unpleasant ,sight for motorists--it's .Ji."%.also a disposal problem for MDT s Maintenance Division. In thc Bitterroot Valley alone, as many as 600 to 700 deer are killed along the roads each year. For many years, MDT has had an agreement with Fish, Wildlife and Parks that allows the Department to haul deer car- cusses to remote areas for natural decomposition. However, in- creased development has re. ducod the number of places that are out of the public eye where MDT can take the carcasses. In addi- tion, the cost of hanling the deer to landfills is approximately $135 per hip, and bucks sometimes make four trips a week. For the past yeas, MDT has been working on a new approach to cleaning up Montana's roadsides----composting deer carcasses rather than land-filling them. Composting reduces the costs asso- ciated with disposal and uses up other waste material The com- post can then be used as starter material for new composting bins. MDT is exploring other possible uses for the compost. To get the project roiling, Doug Moeiler, MDT's Missoula maintenance chief, traveled to Maine last spring to learn about a composting process used in some eastern states. When he re- turned, he and other MDT employees worked hand-in-hand with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality; Fish, Wild- lite and Parks; and Ravalli County to develop the safest corn- posting process available. The procedure involves embedding deer carcasses in wood chips, sawdust, chipped tree trimmings, and other similar bulk- ing materials within encased bins atop an asphalt mat. The process generates internal temperatures of 150 degrees Fahren- heit or higher, even in winter. The composting takes an average of 90 to 120 days to com- plete, and the material has to be turned at least once during that time. Outside temperatures and moisture are major factors in the time it takes to complete the cycle. The process is nearly odorless, and MDT has not had any problems with scavengers or predators. Currently, the only composting site in Montana is located north of Victor on MDT property. The site is over 300 feet from the highway and nearly one-half mile from residences and other commercial property. MDT hopes to expand the program throughout Montana to decrease the number of deer carcasses going to landfills. Only a handful of states in the U.S. compost road kill, and, according to Moeller, Montana is the first state west of the Mis- sissippi to be involved. In upcoming months, the Department of Environmental Quality will issue an environmental document that will be avail- able for public comment. Fur more information, contact Doug Moellar at 523-5803 (dmooller@rnt. gov) or Cora Helm at 444-7659 (cohelra@mt.gov). CTEP Guideline Manual and Application to. Be Updated It's that time again.., the Community Transportation En- hancement Program (CTEP) is updating the CTEP Guide- lines Manual and project application form. The updates are duc in part to new Federal Highway (FHWA) Enhancement Guide- lines issued in January 2006 and also to changes in Montana law. CTEP is in the process of hLri_ng a consultant to complete this work, and the goal is to have these new products reedy in about a year. Customers and users of the manual and applica- tion who have ideas or suggestions for improvements can con- tact Mike Wherley at 4'?~4221 or rawherley@mt.gov. So, what are the changes in the b-'HWA Enhancement Guidelines? The changes are few and are the result of langeage in the new transportation bill (SAFETEA-LU). The following summary is taken directly from the FHWA Enhancement Guid- ance Web site found at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/ telguidance.htm. · Activity C added including historic battlefields to clarify exist- ing eligibility. Because historic battlefields were already eli- gible, there is no additional guidance. · Activity H replaced "thereof" with 'of the corridors" (it did not change eligibility). · Activity I inserted Inventory before Control and Removal of Outdoor Advertising to clarify existing eligibility. Eligible categories remain thc same with die following ex- ceptions (new legislation is in italics): · Acquisition of scenic casement and scenic or historic sites (including historic battlefield*). ,, Preservation of abendoned railway con'idors (including the conversion and use of the comdors for pedestrian or bicycle trails). · Inventory, control and removal of outdoor advertising. One noticeable change in thc CTEP project application form is that proximity to a highway or transportation facility alone will no longer be sufficient to determine project eligibility. Thus, the fact that a historic building is adjacent to a highway wiU not in itself make that building eligible for a UI'I~P project--there must be some other relationship to surface transportation. The new CTEP application form will reflect this requirement. Thc CJ.'Iz~' staff is excited about the upcoming revisions to the manual and application. Not only will these changes be a big help to them, but more importantly, the manual and applica- tion will be better and mm nser-friundly for thei~ cnstomers~ thc local and tribal governments of Montana. Montana's Historic Bridges Part 3 by ,[on Axline, MDT Historian ~ : The Second World War caused a brief respite to the Mon- ~,a,. tana Highway Department's:~0ad and bridge programs because of material shortages and the fi:deral government's focus on the war effort. Beginning in 1948; however, road ; and bridge building expanded ~ as the post-war economic boom, commemml trucking, recreational tourism, and the Cold War created need for improved roads and bridges The boom culminated in the Federal Aid:Highway Act of 1956 which created the Interstate highway system. Shortly after pearl Harbor, the highway commissioners canceled all bridge projects sched- uled for construction. Only those~.,~o; projects essential to national de-; ~ fi:me were authorized by the Wer:~: . partmenL Unless the highways, hadge were on he Sia tet0e Highway Netr~orla the War ~: Depamnem would not sanclaon th~ expenditure of ~ 10 en~ 9I feil into that categorY. The mil~tary retained ~'; ~ict conlrol of ste,~l a Texas company to erect the steel trusses. In July 1944, the Tert~ who likes to have both feet planted fo'mly sight of the steel crow high up in the air erecting ~ the steel beams is quite a thrill. The top ofthe spans axe 70~ feet above the ground and the men walk around the T bean{s 21 inches in width and on the crosi beams nine inches Wide nonchalantly as if gaveling on a broad highway." Roscoe opened the bridge for traffic on November 22, 1944, about one year after construction began on the slxuc- tu~. The massive five-span con- tams nearly 1.16 steel; and at 1,149-fi:et long, it mained thelongest Yellowstone River bridge in Montana until st~ passed bythe 2,013-foot brldgeI about seven miles southaast of Terry. Alan built by ~ flora When the Fallen Bridge over the Yellowstone River'. Company, ~v Despiteth~bostintonfioas ~fl~,, opened in November 1944, arco residents celebrated wasthe lasttmssbrldg~bulltbythe highway departrnant to economiz~, d with a high school band concert. It is the longest con- Montana Highway Department.; :~ du~ing[t~war MotherNature '._: tinuous-span bridge in Montana. Wheil vict:ory ag,~tust the A.v,j$ ~'thmw. ita din:re'hall in March 1943' ~ · · when ice deatro3nxt the Yellowstone River Bridge at Fallon. The forco of the j~n was so enormous it sheered off all three conc~te piers and canied three ofthe bridge's foer spans downstream. B~canse the War Department had designated Highway 10 a strategically impod~m£ highway, it pushed for the construmion of a new bridge as soon as possible. By June 1943. the highway depamnent's engineers had designed a continuous-spen tIh-ough-uass to mplaee the old bridge. The commassion awarded the coatxact to the Billings~ based William P. Roscoe Company in October 1943. Few men have had as big an [mpect on Montana's consu'um~on indusl~j as Bill Roscoe. For thirty yeats from 1926 to 1956, he built more bridges in Montana than any other contxactor employed by the highway depmtment. Although he special- ized in the cons~a'ucfion of barge steel bridges, Roscoe also built reinforced concrete and timber bridges aamss the state. In fact, Roscoe had supexvised the conslrucfion of the first Fnilon Bridge in 1914 while employed by the Security Bridge Company. The new Fallon Bridge took over a year to complete and was plagued by labor and steel simrlages, high water, and inclement weather. Roscoe hired men from the Crow Reset- radon to help pour the concmhi p i em and subcontracted with ,.~ pow~s was tmmmen~; Congress, · passed the Federal Highway Act of 19~4. which provided tliet foundation for the $1.5, billion post~-war highway-building ~ boom. The act created the National System of Interstate ami Defense Highways end put more emphasis on mads and bridges in urban areas and on secondary highways; which had been largely neglectedduring the 1930s. Many of the Montana Highway Depatmmm's early post. wac projects included the consffuctlon of large girder and steel stringer bridges over the Beaverhaad. Bitterroot, Clear- water, Musselshall, and Madison Rivets. Steel girders re- plac~d trusses as the material of choice for river crossings in the late 1940s. Unlike steel truss bridges, girder spans we~ cheaper te coustrect and did not have overhead restrictions for commercial trucks. For shorter spans, the highway depart- merit continued to rely on timber bridges to cross smaller streams and drainages m eastern Montana. Many of the big bridges dasigned and built by the Mon- tana Highway Department after World War H were located near tim state's major urban conters m improve aeceas from the surrounding rural areas and to improve trade networks between Montana's cities and towns. One of the moat impor- tent of the urban projects was a new bridge across the Mis- souri River at Great Fails~a bridge that had a profound ira- 6 ,,.~ pact un the city, permuneatly altering its pattern of develop. Tom Html!e began construction of the sUspemiofi · ment by creating a new entrance. Before 1951, Tenth Avenue bridge in September 1949 with his brother Willard'sup~iS: 'ii}~{ ?SOUth consisted of a scattering of,-areho'usas, tourist cabin mga crew of e~ght man~all county emPloyees. Acc0rdC'ng 5~}! 17 camps, auto repair shops, and hearses. Within a decade after to Tom Hurdle, equipment used to COnstruct the bridge in~ ~'i the completion of the bridge th/s street in the "Electric City'~ chided only a '~backhoe concrete mixer two-drum hoist i?¢¢?, transformed rote one the state's busiest thomnghinres, lined winch truck, compressor and welding equipmant.'l Com- :<~} ~with Stores service stations restaurants, :! ~leted in July 1951 and namad foilo~il :.~: and, by 1959, One Montana's first shop2 ,/i r'aneber; Le°'aard Pugsley, the bridge · ping malls. Where Tenth Avenue South :' sists Of three spans With tlie main 290-f ~oi~/l ,~' *:_ once dead2ended at the Missouri River; il~ span sappoiied by cables Suspended '.. now provided access to two major high-: two 51-foot tall anchor t0wersl. Tbe stee~' ~, ways and Malmstmm Air Force Base. ~; cables:are anchored td concrete blocks: :~ In !uno 1949, the highway commis~*:, ¢ thirty-two;~e{ long and si~-fe~t thick sion awarded a cortlmct to the Anderson · each end of the bridge. The Pu Construction Company of Great Falls to, Bridge is the 0nly one of · · build a combinatioa steel-girder and ~ein, forced-concrete slxncture over the MissoUri River and the Great Northern Railway at the west end of Tanth Avenue South. At ~ over $1.7 million, it was the most:eX'pea- : a~ve bridge built by the highway depart- ,;?mant up to that time. The 2,093-fo0t ~;~'bridge co0~_!sts of six'Steel girder ~' · sPare and twenty-one steel stringer apr' ~ preach spans.. The approaches rest on, i. einforced.cunerete immmerhead pi,e ~m jh~, TheMa~mPugdeYRiverBHdge~Outh ~ r" ' s first of that desigebuilth Montana; ?:;r an innovative' cable,s~ay suspension Governor John Bouner suggested , system. It is the only bridge of its kind in -: i'Tneming the new bridge for Oliver S. Wa~, the United States. ~,~ded, formerpublisber of the GreatFaHs C ~CTribune and a tireless advocate of iml;~Ved roads and bridges ~' --,~ a member of the highway commission: from 1924 to :~> 1936. Warden's yridfw? Eleanor, and s0g, ~'ock, cut the.rib- ~ i' ben to the mnctore in Sept~nbe~ 195 I;0P~ning what WOuld · ~ be one Of themos~Jmportant bridges baii~;;in.Montana during ~: the twanfieth ceatury.. The bridge provided aaew eatrance t0 :~ GreatFallaoffU.S. Highwaygl (and laterlnterstate 15) and facilitated the shipment of goods between eastern and wastem Montana viuMontanaHighway 200, The bridgebest:sym- bolizes th~ optimism and prosperity of the highway depart- meat's bridge prognuns after the wer: During the f'fflies, many counties replaced old bridges that were not eligible for federal replacement'funds. Because of the lack of money, the counties were ohilged to seek innova- tire ways to provide goodbridges for their~itizens, In 1947 ice mostly destroyed a bridge across the Mafias River south of Cbester. The Liberty County Commissioners began plans to replace the old bridge without the use of federal funds and hired the Billings angineanng f'mn of T. H, Hurdle and Sons to design iL To kenp costs down, engmenr Tom Hurdle developed an innov~ive braced chain-P~pe suspension system for the new bridge r~he~ than the tradifiounl wire Cables used on other suspension bridges. The sysu~m pranluded flte need for river pi~ and k~ tbe cost ofth~ new s~uotmm wi~ the county's budget The new bridge also.used purliom ofth~ original 19t4 strns[u~ in its design, including ti~ concrete abutments ami one of the appreash span piers. develupmeat 9~tl~'mgion. At that tira~ other than which operat~d~0nly aq'asofial!y. ~em:TM n0 b~en F~ B~n ~:F~ Pe~a ~mc:of ~9~ acq~sifion of ~ds m b~d i~ ~ Sram ~ghway ~[~ sion aw~ded a con~ to c~ct ~ ~sso~ ~ver B~e to ~e W~g-bmM N, ~ NeOn Co. my ~ ~Omb~ 1~6.. ~ co~onof ~e bfid~ pm~d ~ logisfic~ M~ ~r ~'m~act~ sim w~ lomted ~ ~es ~m ~e ne~st ~M m~n~ m Roy. Bufl~ ~ h~ m be mck~ M ov~ a m~ ~at w~ "mostly a ~ of ~ w~st ~nd of ~bo i~gM~le." ~e ma~s mMdoMy ~ ~M~ Md~ periods of ~ w~er. Nelmn ~mblis~ a ~ ~p · e ~d~ sim ~r work~. ~Hed a ~11. l~d wa~ ~d sewer pipes, ~ bu~ a sm~l ~ecMc fi~ p~ De~i~ ~eMfies, ~e corot's supplant later smt~ ~t "~ mom ~uble ~epmg expe~ men on ~e job on ~y job ~ [~] ev~ built." By w~ ~o ~ght-~ shffis per day, ~e comp~7 complet~ ~ bride's subs~- ~ M ~er 1957. ~e ~ s~l ~ not ~veM Roy ~ early June 195~ a~y of~y s~ mo~. B~ame ~e w~ nearly imp~ble. ~ ~ coMd not ~gM ~ck- mg ~e s~el m ~e com~cfion si~ until ~ in ~ mn~ ~ bridge ~y o~ f~ ~c M Mmh 1959; ~e cost of~ s~c~ w~ $716.533.75. Newsline is a quarterly publication of the Rail, Transit and Planning Division, Montana Department of Transportation. MDT attempts to provide accommodations for any known disability that may interfere with a person participating in any service, program, or activ- ity of the Deper~ment. Alternative accessible formats of this information Will be provided upon request. For further information call (406)444-3423. TrY (800)335-7592, or the Montana Relay at 711. 6,569 copies of this public document were published at an estimated cost of $0.373 per copy for a total of $2,450 which includes $706 for printing and $1,744 for distribution. MDT's mission is to serve the public by providing a transportation system and services that emphasize quality, Safety, cost effectiveness, economic vitality and sensitivity to the environment. Rail, Transit & Planning Division Montana Department of Transportation 2703. Prospect Avenue P.O. Box 203.003. Helena, Montana 59620-3.003. 800-73.4-7296 JUL 1 Pre Sort Standard U.S. Postage PAID Helena, MT Permit No. 141 LAUREL CITY COMMISSION PO BOX 10 LAUREL MT 59044-0010