The Flathead Valley will again be a hub of roadwork this spring. Ahead of major impacts, the Montana Department of Transportation will host two open houses to discuss work on U.S. 2 from Hungry Horse to Stanton Creek. The project is set to break ground in May.

The first session will be held on Thursday, April 29 from 3-7 p.m. at Canyon Elementary School. The second will be held virtually via Zoom on Friday, April 30 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Registration for the second event is required and can be completed online at https://bit.ly/US2HHSC.

The public and media are invited to engage directly with the project team that will be conducting necessary pavement preservation work on 26 miles of the highway.

“We want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to spread the message about this project,” MDT Missoula District Construction Engineer, John Schmidt, said. “The timing and location of the construction require a good amount of coordination with the public. Doing this effectively will make for a stronger relationship between our team and the communities in which we’re working.”

The project includes pavement preservation work, new pavement markings, upgraded guardrail, additional rumble strips, and ADA ramp sidewalk enhancements.

Being the most direct route from Columbia Falls to East Glacier, it is critical that U.S. 2 is preserved for commuters, tourists, business owners and nearby residents, a press release from the transportation department stated.

For this construction to occur, crews are anticipating delays of up to 45 minutes. This is a heavily trafficked route between neighboring communities and Glacier National Park. The transportation department is encouraging people to plan ahead and take alternate routes where possible. The department is working directly with Glacier National Park and other organizations to coordinate efforts with the goal of limiting construction-related impacts as much as possible.