Belgrade company gets contract to replace bridge in Park County

Belgrade-based Battle Ridge Builders has won a contract to replace a failing bridge over the Shields River just east of Wilsall.

Horse Creek Bridge was described in a county staff report as “deteriorated” and “fracture-critical.” Its replacement will “improve public safety, restore load capacity, and ensure long-term access for residents, maintenance, and emergency vehicles,” according to the March 1 report.

Battle Ridge Builders’ bid was $1,099,342. Stahly Engineering & Associates estimated the project will cost $1.08 million, according to Matt Whitman, county public works director.

The bridge is expected to be closed during the summer and opened in the fall.

The project is fully funded through state programs, including $612,750 from the Montana Coal Endowment Program and additional funding from the Montana Department of Transportation via SB 536, according to the March 1 report.

The project will include replacement of the bridge and some upgrades to Horse Creek Road over Flathead Creek Bridge, Whitman told county commissioners on March 17.

“So, you’ll be able to get down that entire road without any posted load limits,” Whitman said.

The bridge has been a problem for years. In July 2023, District 3 County Commissioner Clint Tinsley noted the weight limit on the bridge prevents it from being used by trucks bearing concrete and gravel.

“So they have to go around, which causes the price to go way up,” Tinsley said at that time. “So people are paying … way more than they need to because of this one bridge. And if you look at Horse Creek (Road), it feathers out into a lot of places.”

Commissioners voted unanimously March 17 to award the contract to Battle Ridge Builders.

“Battle Ridge has done quite a few bridges for us and in a timely manner,” said District 2 County Commissioner Bryan Wells before motioning to award the contract that day.

Horse Creek Bridge is a 105-foot steel truss structure “relocated in 1986,” according to the March1 report. A June 2022 inspection by the Montana Department of Transportation identified the bridge as fracture critical with a sufficiency rating of 44.6 and multiple safety and structural deficiencies, including a posted 7-ton weight limit, severe timber deck deterioration, cracked abutments, scour concerns, unknown foundation conditions, and minimal safety features, the report states.

“Replacement of the bridge is necessary to ensure safe and reliable transportation,” reads the report.

The project will call for a full road closure to through-traffic beginning June 1 with an anticipated reopening in early- to mid-September.