MDT plans to make improvements to Perma bridge

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and Frontier West are planning to rehabilitate the bridge that carries Highway 382 over the Flathead River just east of Perma. Construction is anticipated to begin in mid-July and take two construction seasons to complete.

An in-person open house was held on Wednesday, July 12, at the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) Council Chambers in Pablo, and two virtual open houses are on tap via Zoom from noon-1 p.m. and 6-7 p.m. Thursday, July 13.

Both virtual open houses will contain identical information, and each will have a live question-and-answer session immediately following the presentation. To register for a virtual open house, visit the project website at www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/permabridge/.

“This bridge was built in the early 1960s and has a normal amount of wear and tear for a bridge of its age,” said John Benda, engineering project manager for MDT Missoula District, in a press release. “Our contracting partners Frontier West and Morrison-Maierle have identified several improvements for rehabilitating the bridge so it will be able to serve the traveling public for years to come.”

Planned improvements include: replacing damaged bearings and joints, repairing bridge girders, overlaying the bridge deck with new concrete, painting portions of the steel superstructure to inhibit corrosion, upgrading bridge railing and the roadway approach guardrail, resurfacing the pavement approaches on each end of the bridge, and adding warning rumble strips and signage for the intersection of 382 with Montana Highway 200.

For more information, contact Brandon Coates by email at brandon@rbci.net or by phone at 406-465-3350.