The Montana Department of Transportation and Frontier West have completed the rehabilitation of four I-90 bridges located east of Alberton. These bridges cross the Clark Fork River between 9-Mile Exit 82 and Petty Creek Exit 77 all in Missoula County east of Alberton.  

“The improvements made to these bridges were a collaborative effort between MDT, Frontier West, and Morrison Maierle,” said John Benda, MDT Missoula district Engineering Project Manager. “There was a tremendous amount of work and coordination done on all of these bridges and without great partnering this project would not have gotten done as efficiently as it did.” 

Work on these bridges began in spring 2023 and was completed in late fall 2024. Improvements included replacing the concrete bridge deck on the eastbound lanes of the 6-mile and 5-mile bridges, painting portions of the steel superstructures to slow corrosion, replacing bridge joints and damaged bearings, repairing bridge girders and concrete piers, upgrading drainage and guardrail, resurfacing the pavement approaches on each of the bridge ends, and replacing the shoulder rumble strips. From 35 mph to full stop red lights on portable traffic light systems to pilot cars, the last couple summers interrupted traveling to and from Missoula using I-90.

“We would like to thank the public for their patience during the construction of these bridges,” said Benda. “We know that construction is disruptive to travel. Minimizing traffic impacts while maintaining safety for the traveling public and our contracting partners is a high priority.” 

The improvements made to these bridges as part of the rehabilitation are expected to provide a smoother ride and extend their service life by 20-30 years. More information about the project can be found at: mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/i90eastalbertonbridges/. Questions and comments can be directed to Brandon Coates at [email protected] or by phone at (406) 465-3350.

Next on the MDT list are three bridges west of Alberton with preliminary work scheduled for the spring of 2025.