Bridge work slowed by cold

POLSON — Crews are back at work this week resurfacing the Polson Veteran’s Memorial Bridge after a cold snap that swept through the area in mid-October halted work for almost two weeks.

This means the completion date, originally set for Oct. 22, has been pushed back to Nov. 3, Westway Construction project manager Nate McKinley said.

“We have completed half of the lane and are waiting for a weather break to complete the remainder,”  McKinley said in an e-mail last week.

Westway Construction is the main contractor for the job.

Crews began water blasting away the old surface of the southbound lane on Sept. 8, and are now working to replace it with a more durable, updated cement finish.

The northbound lane of the project was completed Memorial Day weekend. McKinley said the crews will survey that lane after the southbound portion is finished to ensure it’s smooth.

Any areas that don’t meet the smoothness specifications will be grounded and smoothed, he said.

Western Traffic Control is in charge of traffic movement across the bridge during construction. A controller inside a mobile home set up on the north side of the bridge monitors and “directs” traffic around the clock.

Mounted live-stream video cameras show the controller where cars are, and when the last car across the bridge passes onto the highway, the controller pushes a button to switch the light.