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Public works director outlines spring road work and Old Town Bridge paving timetable
Summary
Public works director T.J. Gravely told the Broadwater County Commission the road crew is starting spring grading, a planned Bull Mountain gravel crush will provide roughly 10,000 yd of material, and Old Town Bridge paving awaits asphalt-plant openings in mid-April.
T.J. Gravely, Broadwater County public works director, told commissioners at the March 18 meeting that crews are doing spring grading and hauling to restore shoulders and bring lost material back onto county roads. "They're doing a bunch of hauling and shaping of roads," Gravely said, adding that graders are using discs to work shoulders and that crews have completed Avalanche and about half of Greely Lane.
Gravely said dirt work between the two Old Town bridges is complete and that paving remains contingent on local asphalt plants reopening. He said plants typically begin operation in mid-April and that Knife River out of Belgrade is likely to supply the asphalt once plants are running. "I wouldn't be surprised to see them open this year by the 1st," he said when asked about timing.
On material procurement, Gravely said the county plans to crush roughly 10,000 cubic yards of gravel at Bull Mountain this fiscal year. He estimated the crushing work could cost "close to $85,000" and said that the crushed material would likely last five to six years; the last similar crush occurred in 2021. Gravely said the county is seeking competitive bids and is considering a semi-local firm from Helena to reduce mobilization costs.
Gravely also described plans to publish a road-priority list on the county website so residents can see why some roads receive more frequent attention than others, describing it as an "ABC policy" for scheduling grading work. He warned that residents should expect increased grader activity through the spring and asked for patience while crews respond to weather impacts.
Other operational notes included a clarification that the county is not the town's garbage pickup service, updates on solid-waste revenue from tree and non-household-waste disposal, and a plan to postpone a planned burn of storm-deposited trees until later in the fiscal year.
The public-works update closed with an operational detail about vehicle decals: Gravely said new decals should be in the office in mid-April and mailed in April–May, but warned of some returns when mail is routed through regional processing centers. He encouraged residents who do not receive decals to contact the treasurer's office.
No formal action was taken on the road items during the meeting.
