MDT outlines multi-year road and bridge work in Lincoln County, flags emergency Coupney River bridge repairs

Montana Department of Transportation district staff briefed Lincoln County commissioners on a multi-year construction plan that includes pavement preservation, bridge repairs and an emergency project at the Coupney River.

Bob Bzen, district administrator, and district engineers walked the board through a published five-year tentative construction plan. Work on Highway 37 around Lake Kukanusa is nearing completion; crews will apply final epoxy striping in 30–45 days after a fog seal phase. A series of bridge repairs and redecking projects across the Libby-area routes are in progress and expected to continue through the season.

The Libby airport mill-and-fill project was scheduled to start milling early in the week following the meeting and to be paved the week after, with final signing as weather allows. District staff described the Coupney River site northwest of Troy as an emergency project: crews performed temporary repairs and now plan a permanent fix requiring replacement of multiple bridge bearings. The work will require several short closures (three to six hours each) and sequencing over several weeks; district staff said they plan limited nightly closures and will coordinate public messaging.

District staff also outlined priorities for secondary roads that need surfacing work and discussed funding constraints for maintaining roughly 1,700 lane miles in the northwest corner of the state.

Commissioners and MDT staff discussed local coordination, environmental constraints (e.g., eagle nests delaying one bridge start), and traffic-management measures for projects with temporary closures.