A logging crew has finished clearing 14 acres of trees along U.S. 2 through Hungry Horse to make way for construction of a new bridge and highway expansion.

The new span across the South Fork of the Flathead River will be built downstream from the current bridge, but will be approximately 300 feet longer and curved to better align with the road, according to Bob Vosen, district construction engineer for Montana Department of Transportation. The road will also be widened in the area with 4-foot shoulders.

Construction will begin at the Hungry Horse welcome sign and end at Third Street, about 1 mile down the highway connecting the Flathead Valley with Glacier National Park.

According to Vosen, the current road and bridge will remain open to traffic throughout the construction process.

He expects the project will wrap up in the fall of 2018. Bids for the bridge project open today.

Logging project manager Doug Yeager, with Tough Go Logging, said a rush order from the state of Montana and the National Forest Service to clear the trees came last Thursday. Yeager and his crew of six were given seven days to have all 14 acres of trees down.

According to Vosen, the project’s urgency was prompted by the migration of birds to the area. In accordance with the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the trees must be cut before birds flocking to the area begin nesting.

With only one day left before their April 14 deadline, the crew has finished felling the timber and is now busy with hauling, limb removal, skinning and processing of about 200,000 board feet of lumber.

Though the project’s main goal, according to Vosen, is to make way for the highway project, much of the timber will go to Weyerhaeuser and F.H. Stoltze Lumber Co. mills.

Yeager said his crew has sediment controls in place to make sure no debris gets into the Flathead River.

Previous traffic delays caused by the logging team’s efforts have been cleared and travelers can now expect a delay-free commute through the area.

According to Yeager, the crew is set to finish on schedule.