HOT SPRINGS - Christensen Bridge on Little Bitterroot Rd. about 3.5 miles from Hot Springs off of highway 28 will be closed for repairs from Mar. 18 to Apr. 8. The closure will affect school bus routes, the Christensen family who own a ranch that spans the bridge and the community of Hot Springs who will experience a short period of internet and phone service disruption.

Also affected will be those who need to travel from Ronan to Hot Springs. Travelers will now need to detour north to Elmo and use Highway 28 South or use Highway 200 South to Ravalli.

According to Lake County Commissioner Ann Brower, the bridge was deemed in immediate need of repair by state inspectors.

“The state recommended closure so repairs have to be done immediately. We waited to close due to the heavy impact on the local community. We will be putting in a steel bridge with an anticipated load limit of 20 tons,” said Brower.

Arrangements for repair to the bridge were postponed to allow for modifications to school bus routes and to permit alterations of aquatic lands or wetlands on the Flathead reservation.

According to Montana Department of Transportation Bridge Engineer Kent Barnes, responsibility for repairs to the dilapidated bridge lies with Lake County.

“We identified issues with the bridge to the Lake County commissioners. The work is being done by the county,” said Barnes.

According to Vice President and manager of the Hot Springs Telephone Company, Sandy Prongua, the service interruption for residents of Hot Springs was brief. On Tuesday March 12 from 8-11 a.m., internet and telephone service to any number with a 741 prefix were unable to process. Prongua stated that additional resources were being brought in to ensure a smooth transition and as brief a disruption as possible.

“We’ve been working on it. We have called in extra crews to handle it and everyone will be working on this,” said Prongua.

According to the Hot Springs Telephone Phone Company approximately 800 phone lines will be affected by the outage.

Construction on the new bridge is scheduled for completion.