The road signs have been flashing their warnings for weeks.

And at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, traffic restrictions take effect at U.S. 93 and West Reserve Drive so road workers can rebuild the intersection there as part of the Kalispell bypass project.

The Montana Department of Transportation is encouraging motorists to consider other ways of getting where they need to go. It’s one of Kalispell’s busiest intersections and it’s going to be a mess for a while.

“We have 30 days [to finish the intersection work] or there’s a penalty,” said Nathan Malmin, project manager for Schellinger Construction. “Our goal is to beat that 30-day schedule, realizing this is a major inconvenience for the traveling public.”

With the restrictions in place, U.S. 93 will temporarily be narrowed to one lane for northbound traffic and one lane for southbound traffic. Drivers headed east and west will be routed along Hutton Ranch Road and Reserve Loop and detoured around the intersection that way.

The rebuilt intersection will usher in a new configuration when it reopens.

The intersection’s west side is closing immediately and permanently. That’s because the new four-lane stretch of Kalispell bypass will connect with the highway from the west where West Reserve Drive enters now.

Schellinger Construction started working on the $6.7 million project in early August. When completed, this northernmost phase of the Kalispell bypass will run from the U.S. 93 and West Reserve Drive intersection south and west to Reserve Loop near Glacier High School.

The project has gone well so far, Malmin said. 

Crews have been busy pouring the intersection’s curbs and sidewalks. More than half of the dirt work needed for the new road is done.

“Late October, early November, we hope to have it open, both the intersection and the [bypass] down to Reserve Loop. We’re hoping to have it functional this year. The plan is to crank it out,” Malmin said.

Under the new configuration, West Reserve Drive west of the highway will dead-end in front of Mountain Villa Apartments and the Country Estates subdivision and be renamed Reserve Place. As part of the ongoing construction project, it eventually will be resurfaced from the dead end to Reserve Loop with a new shared-use path and a new signalized crosswalk across Reserve Loop to Glacier High School.

Reserve Loop will be renamed Old Reserve Drive while West Reserve Drive east of U.S.  93 will retain its name.

BUSINESSES IN the area will remain accessible throughout the construction project. 

Greg Eisinger, owner and general manager of Eisinger Automotive Group, said the biggest challenge at the Honda and Chevrolet dealerships has been dust on cars.

“We moved them back so they stay cleaner and we have been washing them almost daily, but the contractor has been very good about keeping the entrance open on the south side, the Honda side,” Eisinger said.

The dealership has been offering additional service specials to help bring traffic in through the congested area. “This next 30 days will be a bit more of a challenge, but they’re committed to getting it done and it’s all part of improving things,” Eisinger said.

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.