Community bridge update and comment meetings are scheduled for every other Thursday and the next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 7 the Polson Senior Citizens Center.

POLSON — The noise comes bouncing off the bridge 24 hours a day, through rain and wind, and a little snow and a few residents’ grumbles, buts the crews  working to resurface the Armed Forces Memorial bridge on U.S. Highway 93 are sticking to their guns.

"We don't have a choice," project supervisor Booy Desjarlais said on Friday afternoon as the sun appeared, but the wind kept blowing.

Despite the nasty weather, things are progressing nicely, Desjarlais said. The quick job, that could slow traffic across the major outlet for at least six weeks, is contracted to end on May 31.

Last week, crews began the first major step in the resurfacing by removing the old bridge surface.

A hydrodemolition sub-contracted crew from Pennsylvania is currently working to remove the surface of the northbound lane. The process uses high-velocity water jets to remove or demolish concrete as traffic moved by steadily. At least two large trucks, two crew members and  several pumps worked to remove the surface.

In the coming weeks, crews will clean up the lane, check for bad concrete, replace it and lay new concrete. Next, and last, they'll resurface the bridge.

Project manager Nate McKinley said construction looked to move to the second deck preparation stage on Monday night.

Connie King, hired as a carpenter out of Ronan, is helping to remove the railing of the north side of the bridge as the resurfacing is taking place. A temporary wooden railing will be put in place while the existing metal structure is taken to Missoula to be reworked.

The team came into the job aiming to finish on Memorial Day weekend, and while things are on schedule now, Desjarlais said the project will most likely take the full six weeks.

Western Traffic Control is in charge of traffic movement across the bridge during construction. A controller inside a mobile home set up on the north side of the bridge monitors and "directs" traffic around the clock.

Mounted live-stream video cameras show the controller where cars are, and when the last car across the bridge passes onto the highway, the controller pushes a button to switch the light.

“We have not had any problems with the traffic thus far,”  McKinley said in an e-mail.

He said there are no plans to adjust traffic control at this time. The second of bi-weekly public comment meetings on the construction will be held at 7 p.m. tonight at the Polson Senior Citizens Center. 

Westway crews will finish the northbound lane, take down the barrier for peak summer traffic and be back to start the southbound lane on Sept. 8, Desjarlais said.

Q and A with Nate McKinley

Can you briefly explain the main stages of the project?

There are roughly 3 main stages of the project. The first stage is the demolition/removal of the existing bridge deck surface. This stage is followed by the preparation of the existing deck surface that has been exposed during stage 1 and finally the third stage, which is replacement of the removed deck surface with new concrete.  On Monday, the project will be transitioning from Stage 1 into Stage 2.

How has work gone so far? Has the weather effected it?

To date, the work has gone fairly well. The demolition/removal of the existing deck surface is progressing on schedule and the wind has been a factor, but other than that the weather has been manageable.

How has traffic flow been? Any problems with RVs, semi trucks, etc?

We have not had any problems with the traffic thus far. We setup the majority of the traffic control devices and signs last week and setup the one lane restriction on Saturday, April 25.  This allowed for Sunday, April 26 to be a test run day for traffic and the setup and this helped work out any kinks in the system prior to our start on April 27.

Have you had feedback from residents on the traffic situation, delays, etc?

We have not had any formal feedback from the public regarding the traffic control or the project in general.  Prior to the start of the

project Public Notice's were hand delivered to residents and business throughout the project and traffic control routes and I believe that the notices answered allot of questions that would normally be presented at this stage of the project.  The next public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 7, and I am expecting more attendees at this meeting than the two we had at the first meeting.

Are there any plans to make any adjustments on the traffic management plan from your

end?

There are no plans to adjust the Traffic Control at this time. The plan is working safely and effectively. 

Is the crew mainly out of Washington? If so, how's their stay in Polson been?

During this stage, the majority of workers are subcontractors. Some are from Washington and some are from Pennsylvania. As far as Westway's crew and the Traffic Control personnel, local people have been hired to assist with the project along with workers from Washington. I have heard nothing but good things from the workers in regards to the accommodations provided by Polson. 

Anything else you'd like area residents to know about the project?

I would encourage any one interested in the project or those who may have comments to attend the public meetings.  The meetings are scheduled for  every other Thursday and the next one is scheduled for May 7. The meetings are held at 7 p.m. at the Polson Senior Citizens Center.