Timber Bridge Replacement Project Begins
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and Sletten Construction will begin preparations to replace two timber bridges on MT Highway 248 in early November 2022, weather permitting. These bridge replacement projects are part of a broader Timber Bridges – Glasgow Area project underway to replace up to 16 timber bridges within three years in northeastern Montana.
“Replacing Montana’s aging timber bridges is a top priority for MDT,” said Shane Mintz, MDT Glendive district administrator. “These structures are vital to keeping Montanans connected and our economy moving forward.”
The state’s aging timber structures have limited service- life remaining. MDT is proactively investing in replacing this aging infrastructure through an innovative bridge bundling program. The 16 Glasgow-area bridges are being proposed for replacement as a bundle through this program.
Work this fall includes constructing detours around these first two structures in preparation for full construction tentatively planned for early 2023. The timber bridges both span unnamed drainage ditches. One bridge, located on MT 248 five miles east of Richland, will be replaced by a 65-foot, single- span concrete bridge. The other bridge, also located on MT 248, is seven miles east of Richland and will be replaced by a single-barrel, precast, 24 by 8-foot concrete culvert.
