Whitetail open house June 12

The Montana Department of Transportation is hosting an open house next week to discuss a proposed project to reconstruct two sections of Whitetail Road (Secondary Highway 399) in Jefferson County.

The open house is scheduled to take place Wednesday, June 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Jefferson High School Cafeteria located at 312 S. Main Street in Boulder.

According to MDOT, the purpose of the project is to decrease the amount of maintenance required by Jefferson County and to bring the road to current design standards, which will improve the safety of the roadway.

Project team members will be available to the public at the open house to discuss the project and the anticipated 2020 construction.

PROJECT

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) will be rebuilding two segments of Whitetail Road (State Road 399) south of Boulder to decrease the amount of maintenance required by Jefferson County. The new design will bring the road up to current standards and will inherently improve the safety of the roadway, while minimizing the environmental and cultural impacts.

The work includes building a new driving surface, installing new culverts, and making minor changes to the road alignment. The new road will generally follow the existing road but does improve the sharper curves to improve safety for drivers, as shown in the picture below near the Rocky Canyon Creek.

Southern Segment

The first segment of the project is approximately 9 miles long and starts near Antelope Lane where the existing pavement ends. It extends north from there and ends just over a half mile beyond the National Forest boundary. This segment of the project will be rebuilt to meet State Secondary System Design Standards for Rural Collector Roads. This segment will be reconstructed with a new gravel road surface.

Northern Segment

The second segment of the project is approximately a mile and a half long and is located closer to Boulder. The segment starts at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds and continues south to the intersection of Whitetail Road and Hot Springs Road. This segment of the project will also be reconstructed to meet State Secondary System Design Standards for Rural Collector Roads. Unlike the gravel surface of the south segment, this segment will be paved with asphalt to better match what is there now.

Next Steps

The design is wrapping up and the next steps of the project are:

• Public Informational Meeting – Spring 2019 (exact date will be updated)

• Finalize Project Plans/Specifications - October 2019

• Construction Contracting Phase - February 2020

• Approximate Construction Start – April/May 2020

• Major Construction Ends – Fall 2020

For more information visit the project website at:

mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/southbouldersouth/ or, contact Butte District Administrator Jeff Ebert at (406) 494-9600 or Project Design Engineer D.J. Berg at (406) 444-2067.

MDT will make reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities who wish to participate in this public meeting. If you require an accommodation, contact D.J. Berg at the above number to advise us of the accommodation that you need.

Alternative accessible formats of this information will be provided upon request by contacting Alice Flesch, Human Resources and Occupational Safety Division, P.O. Box 201001, Helena, MT 59620; (406) 444-9229; TTY (800) 335-7592; fax (406) 444-7243; or e-mail to aflesch@mt.gov.