Once again people will need to add a smidgen of time traveling into Missoula as the bridge construction around Alberton has fired back up.

This project is rehabilitating two bridges which are the westbound bridge, located five miles east of Alberton, and the east and westbound sides of the bridge located six miles east of Alberton. 

Between Alberton and the 9 Mile exit, orange cones and barrels will grab your attention. 

This is a joint operation between the Montana Department of Transportation and Frontier West who worked together last year on the same bridges. Work remaining includes replacing the bridge deck of the eastbound lanes of the 6-mile bridge, painting portions of the steel superstructures to slow corrosion, replacing bridge joints and damaged bearings, repairing bridge girders, upgrading bridge drainage and guardrails, resurfacing the pavement approaches, and replacing the shoulder rumble strips and pavement striping. 

That’s a pretty big punch-list with an anticipated completion date late this fall. During construction, motorists can expect:

- Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction.

- East and westbound traffic will travel on the same side of the interstate for approximately two miles.

- Speed limits will be reduced.

- Width and length restrictions will be in place (visit 511mt.net for the most up-to-date information).

“We’re getting a short jump on these projects because of the nice weather,” said Brandon Coates, Public Involvement Manager, RBCI, Inc. The goal of this project is to extend the service life of the bridges. More information about these improvements can be found at mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/i90eastalbertonbridges.