U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited western Montana this week to celebrate the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) that were awarded grants for infrastructure improvements, and their plans to upgrade miles of infrastructure along Highway 93.
The goal is to improve safety for those who walk and drive the stretch of road, as well as the wildlife surrounding it.
The federal government awarded over $100 million in grants to CSKT under the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) confirmed three of the four sections have already been funded and are waiting for the funding to be approved. The project is currently in the planning and design phase.
"We've heard far too many cases where people walking basically right up against the highway and lost their lives or been injured, and we know that the best design solution is to make sure that there's protected and separated, that's part of the scope for this project," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, in a statement.
Plans from the transportation department show the corridor will see 10 intersection improvements, four large underpasses, and four different wildlife crossings.
At the press conference announcing the improvements, Sen. Morigeau, and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chair Michael Dolson thanked Buttigieg, and Senator Jon Tester, for working to secure the funding to finally replace the dangerous, narrow stretch of highway.
"Not only is your work saving lives for us here in this community, but it's also reducing wildlife collisions with animals such as grizzly bears and moose," Morigeau said. "So your work is just so critical for our community when it comes to tourism and safety as well along this highway corridor."
"It was in the top 10 highways in the nation for accidents and death," Dolson said. "So good to have the projects that are going forward to make it as safe as possible."
Buttigieg said the project wouldn't have been possible without the full cooperation of the tribe and the State of Montana, given a route complicated by wetlands and wildlife.
"Part of that danger is due to outdated surface conditions,” he said. “Part of it's due to the lack of a separated protected bike or pedestrian path, especially when you've got freight or logging trucks doing 70 miles an hour just a few feet away."
Construction for Highway 93 is slated for 2026 through 2029.
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Source: NBC Montana, Newstalkkgvo.com
