For the first time in recorded history, a swath of smooth pavement greets drivers on the entirety of Dublin Gulch Road and the first 1.3 miles of Moiese Valley Road. The same treatment is now underway on North Reservoir Road, which will also receive a four-foot-wide bike/pedestrian path extending from Highway 93 to Back Road.

The well-traveled roads were rebuilt with $13 million awarded in 2022 from the American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program.

“The long summer disruptions on Dublin Gulch and Moiese Vally roads is nearly over,” said Lake County grant manager Billie Lee. “Paving is complete and guardrails and striping work is expected to be finished within the next week or two.”

Crews will be cleaning up along the roadways and restoring vegetation this fall, but their efforts aren’t expected to impact traffic.

On the other hand, traffic will be disrupted on North Reservoir Road, south of Polson, for the next six-to-eight weeks. Crews begin widening and scraping the roadway last week to make way for the resurfacing project, new bike lane and a pedestrian bridge over the canal that flows into Pablo Reservoir.

“Cyclists are asked to avoid using this route during construction,” Lee said.

She also advised motorists headed to the Lake County Transfer Station off of North Reservoir Road to access it via the light on Highway 93, “where a lane should remain open to the entrance.”

The Lake County Commissioners expressed appreciation to the public “for their patience and understanding” during construction on Dublin Gulch and Moiese Valley thoroughfares, and the upcoming construction on North Reservoir. They’re optimistic that the new road surfaces “will be greatly appreciated” by drivers and well worth the summer’s inconvenience.