Post Creek Hill project continues with partial grant funding
EMILY MESSER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 1 week AGO
(Emily Messer/Leader)
Emily Messer joined the Lake County Leader in July of 2025 after earning a B.A. degree in Journalism from the University of Montana. Emily grew up on a farm in the rolling hills of southeast Missouri and enjoys covering agriculture and conservation. She's lived in Montana since 2022 and honed her reporter craft with the UM J-School newspaper and internships with the RMEF Bugle Magazine and the Missoulian. At the Leader she covers the St. Ignatius Town Council, Polson City Commission and a variety of business, lifestyle and school news. | October 23, 2025 12:00 AM
The Montana Department of Transportation announced the US Highway 93 Post Creek Hill project is continuing with grant funding, but the project still exceeds available funding.
Remaining on schedule with construction beginning the fall of 2026 and Eagle Pass Trail to start in 2027, the Post Creek Hill Project website detailed that the length of improvements will be reduced due to available resources.
The improvements on Post Creek Hill include a northbound truck climbing lane and a new bridge. The new bridge over Post Creek will allow for better wildlife movement. Funding for the truck climbing lane and the bridge has been secured through the Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP) grant. MDT stated on the project website that Highway 93 is a vital transportation corridor and is a priority for them with increased volumes of traffic during the summer months.
Geotechnical work, which includes additional soil and groundwater testing, is planned for early 2026 at Post Creek Hill. Further updates can be found on the project webpage as MDT gets closer to starting the project.
Currently, MDT also is working on right-of-way communication with landowners whose property will be affected by construction. Landowners will receive detailed information on what would be necessary on their property prior to and during construction.
MDT and its partners are designing a phase of the Post Creek Hill project, which will reconstruct Post Creek Hill to McDonald Lake Road. This will include safety, accessibility enhancement, and wildlife accommodations.
The design phase of the Eagle Pass Trail project is also underway and includes a wildlife overpass, shared-use path, new turn lane, and widened shoulders.
MDT is scaling down these two projects due to funding constraints. The 2023 Neighborhood Access and Equity grant awarded to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes was rescinded in July.
This federal funding was $74.9 million to design and reconstruct Highway 93 in the Ninepipe area. According to the MDT project page, it would have covered more than 80% of the project cost.
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