Montana Department of Transportation officials briefed Ravalli County commissioners on a suite of planned and funded transportation projects on May 29, describing timelines, study work and options for traffic and bridge work that officials said they will refine over the coming year.

Bob Vosin, MDT district administrator for Western Montana, and Cody Crawford, MDT maintenance superintendent, walked the board through the county’s STIP (state transportation improvement program) map and flagged several projects that will affect county roads and state highways.

Vosin said MDT is conducting a Bell Crossing study that will gather speeds, traffic counts and crash data this season; the agency extended a reduced speed zone north of Bell Crossing and is monitoring whether the change alters operations. He said a consultant will be hired to evaluate options and the project will move from a design‑build concept to a design‑bid‑build approach so MDT can design in‑house and reduce cost increases. MDT has programmed work related to that corridor into its multi‑year plan.

On the Woodside bridge replacement over the Bitterroot River, MDT said the project is funded in 2028 with construction likely to run across one or two seasons depending on whether the contractor can close the crossing. MDT staff cautioned that putting in a temporary bridge to maintain traffic would substantially lengthen the temporary crossing alignment and add cost; analysts estimated a detour would add as much as 16 minutes to some local trips if the road stayed open around construction. MDT said a formal cost estimate and public outreach would follow if closing the road were considered.

Other projects discussed include:
- Preservation and crack seal work on a long shared‑use path segment; Hamilton multimodal projects including a shared‑use path linking schools and a Marcus Street path rehab project (construction planning around 2027–2028).
- The Bitterroot River Woodside bridge replacement and associated bike path integration; MDT engineers said design is ongoing and the team is planning whether construction will require a temporary bridge or a single‑season closure.
- Signal connectivity upgrades in Hamilton that will modernize signal cabinets and enable real‑time timing adjustments; the program is being designed and will be scheduled as grant money becomes available.
- Bridge preservation projects on Highway 93 and secondary roads (patching, overlays, deck work and joints); location lists were provided in the STIP material.
- Ongoing work and pavement preservation projects near Darby, Stevensville and north of Stevensville, including curbs, sidewalks and mill‑and‑fill operations.

Crawford said MDT prefers citizens reroute maintenance requests to a single public‑relations contact in Missoula (Joan Radine) so queries are logged and routed efficiently; he also suggested that local officials contact MDT’s public liaison for project questions. Vosin and Crawford also took questions about speed studies on Scalco Corner and East Side Highway; MDT staff said data collection would occur during the summer and that the district traffic engineers would analyze the results later this year.

Ending — MDT officials said they will return to the community with results from data collection and design recommendations, and requested continued local coordination for public outreach and traffic‑operation decisions as projects move from study into design and construction.