Construction crews started paving Kalispell’s $33.8 million, 4.5-mile bypass Tuesday, marking a milestone as the public works project stays on pace to open this fall.

Construction on the final stretch of U.S. 93 Alternate Route west of town began last October, and Jim Mitchell, Montana Department of Transportation engineering project manager, said the work remains slightly ahead of schedule with favorable weather over the past few months and no major setbacks.

“We’re planning on opening it to traffic before the snow flies, around the first of November,” Mitchell said. “By the time the wetter weather started, we were pretty much on an all-weather surface. ... Actually, the damper and cooler [weather] has actually helped us. It keeps the dust down and it keeps the moisture in the gravel so we can get it compacted.”

The fresh pavement at Old Reserve Drive eventually will stretch south to the existing bypass section south of U.S. 2.

North Kalispell’s section of U.S. 93 is one of the busiest stretches of highway in the state, averaging more than 34,000 vehicles per day in 2014, according to statistics from the Department of Transportation.

Mitchell said LHC, the lead construction contractor on the project, has finished building all five overpasses, three of which now have concrete decks in place.

“That’s kind of the milestone that we consider the bridge to be able to carry traffic,” Mitchell said.

He added that the cost of the bypass is staying within its projected budget so far.

Bob Vosen, the state department’s district manager, said despite the progress, he’s still asking the public to respect the “no trespassing” signs posted around the site.

“It might look like an inviting place to be, but we don’t have it safe for the public yet,” Vosen said. “It’s a construction site. It’s not that we don’t want people to see it; we’re excited about the new road, but we need to keep it safe.”

Paving will continue for the next 40 to 50 days, and Mitchell said other remaining work includes pouring concrete barriers on the bridges, installing electric lines and traffic signals, building fences and putting up traffic signs.

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.