Congressman Ryan Zinke is seeking $2.5 million in federal funding to support the replacement of the 102-year-old Noxon Bridge, a project with an estimated $35 million price tag.  

State officials closed the bridge, which spans the Clark Fork River and connects Noxon with Montana 200, in July 2024 after inspectors discovered structural deficiencies. Within weeks, the bridge was reopened after receiving short-term fixes, but state officials warned last fall that its days were numbered. 

A bill with the federal funding already passed the House Appropriations Committee and is now headed to the House floor for a vote. The amount is less than the $10 million Zinke originally sought for what the congressman is describing as “phase one” of the Noxon Bridge project.   

Meanwhile, Sanders County commissioners are looking for money elsewhere to fill the gap. Engineer Branton Sorbel said the replacement project is in the design stage, and it’s unclear how the county would use the $2.5 million, should it pass Congress.   

Once the county goes out to bid for contractors, however, it’s going to need a larger chunk of change, Sorbel said.  

One funding source the county is eyeing is the federal Bridge Investment Program, established as part of the $1 trillion infrastructure legislation signed into law by former President Joe Biden. Commissioners plan to apply for a large federal grant through the program. Applications are due Nov. 1, so it’ll be a few months until the county knows whether it will receive any money for the bridge. 

There’s not a lot of federal grants available for a $35 million project, said Sanders County Commissioner Anthony Cox, especially considering all the bridges across the country competing for the same funds.  

“We’re desperate. We’re grasping at straws,” he said.  

Gov. Greg Gianforte allocated an additional $10 million a year toward bridge repairs in the state's most recent budget. He also signed the Securing Access to Federal Expenditures to Repair Act in the last legislative session.   

The law leverages up to nine federal dollars for every one state dollar and allocates $100 million to repair roads and bridges in the state. But a spokesperson for the governor told the Inter Lake these funds have already been allocated.  

A study commissioned by Sanders County in 2024 recommended replacing the bridge. Though it remains open, the bridge boasts a vehicle weight restriction and a speed limit of 10 mph.  

The county recently spent $14,000 on four steel plates to cover up large holes in the bridge deck.   

“It’s just a band aid,” Cox said, comparing the holes to tooth decay that will inevitably spread. “But it’s better than nothing.”  

Replacing the bridge deck is expected to cost $2 million. Cox said the county could cover the cost of that repair, but doing so comes with downsides.  

For one, ripping off the asphalt would mean closing the bridge for three to four months, which would be devastating for Noxon residents, Cox said. Second, the county would spend half of its savings, money that could otherwise be put toward a federal grant with a matching requirement. 

“Do we sit here and do nothing, or do we do something and lose our match?” Cox said. “It’s frustrating.”  

 Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected].