Seeley Swan to Welcome

Highway 83
projects in line
for state plan

Seeley Swan Pathfinder
July 16, 1998

Three area projects are included in the draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, or STIP, recently released by the Montana Department of Transportation. MDT is seeking public input on these and other transportation improvements planned statewide.

Major transportation projects planned for this area include:

· Seeley Lake-South, a 14.8 mile resurfacing project on MT-83.

· Clearwater Jct - North, a 13.1 mile resurfacing project on MT-83, and

· Bonner - East, a 9.3 mile resurfacing project on I-90.

The STIP represents the department's best estimate of when transportation projects will begin over the next three years.

The STIP is developed each year and is based on assumptions about amounts of available funding and projections on when design work, environmnet documentation, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, permitting, and all other aspects of project development can be completed.

"With the recent reauthorization by Congress of the federal transportation legislation and an increase in our annual apportionment, Montana is in an exciting postiion to make tremendous strides in improving the State's transportation infrastructure," according to MDT Project Analysis Engineer Jeff Ebert.

For a copy of the draft STIP or to comment, call 1-800-714-7296, or write the Montana Department of Transportation, Transportation Improvement Program, PO Box 201001, Helena, MT 59620-1001. Copies of the draft STIP are also available in your public library.