The Higgins Avenue, now Beartracks Bridge reconstruction project will experience some minor restrictions this week, according to the Montana Department of Transportation.
After close inspection by Montana Department of Transportation engineers, the load rating of the Higgins Avenue ‘Beartracks’ Bridge has been upgraded, doubling the weight capacity for vehicles crossing the bridge.
The news emerged this week that the walking surface on the newly remodeled Beartracks Bridge was too hot on a sunny day for people with bare feet and their dogs to walk on.
The Montana Department of Transportation is celebrating the completion of the revitalized South 5th and 6th Streets between Russell Street and Higgins Avenue in Missoula by reestablishing roadway markings and providing a smooth driving surface for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.
In December, 2019 the Montana Department of Transportation went back to the drawing board after the initial estimate for reconstructing the Higgins Avenue Bridge came in at $37 million, more than twice the original estimate.
The preferred option for a bridge over the Bitterroot River is a new structure planned at the end of South Avenue to replace the aging Maclay Bridge currently in place that connects River Pines Road to North Avenue.
The Montana Department of Transportation plans meetings this week about the Higgins Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation Project after the bid from the contractor, Frontier West, came in over twice the original estimate.
The Russell Street Bridge project is coming to completion just in time for the reconstruction of the Higgins Avenue Bridge to begin in February of 2020.