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Commissioners hear update on MDT project and Phillips 66 pipeline that could affect historic fairgrounds trees
Summary
County staff briefed the Yellowstone County Board of County Commissioners on an upcoming Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) project and a Phillips 66 pipeline relocation that may require removing historic trees near the fairgrounds; staff said public hearings and plan reviews are coming and the project timing depends on funding.
Yellowstone County commissioners were briefed on an MDT road project and a related Phillips 66 pipeline relocation that staff said could remove historic trees at the fairgrounds entryway.
The briefing came during the Feb. 2025 meeting of the Yellowstone County Board of County Commissioners. County staff described the MDT work as large in scope and said the schedule depends on funding; if everything goes perfectly, staff said MDT could let the project Jan. 27. Staff added the project will reach a 60% design stage that will trigger public hearings and opportunities for the county to request changes.
Staff said the first phase includes a storm collector with a 66-inch pipe and a mechanical treatment system rather than a large pond; that infrastructure still requires significant footprint and concrete, staff said. After the storm collector, the county was told a smaller pipeline — described in the meeting as an 8-inch line — will be moved and the precise route remains undecided.
County staff raised a particular concern about a proposed pipeline alignment that would remove trees “right down there by Chile Park,” including several trees staff characterized as historic because the stand formed the historical entryway into the fairgrounds. “Those apparently are historic trees,” staff said. Staff said the route might need to change to protect the trees or the county could seek a special dispensation to retain them.
Staff described coordination with Phillips 66 as ongoing and said the company “has always been pretty good partners” during earlier work. Staff also warned the project will require substantial traffic diversions while construction is underway.
No formal action or vote was taken on the MDT project or pipeline at the meeting; staff said they expect to meet with county planner Greg Reed and other stakeholders to review plans and identify problems before design finalization.
The discussion occurred during the meeting’s regular agenda and was a staff update rather than a board directive or adopted policy.
