Road construction begins on I-90 near Alberton

ALBERTON – On Monday, March 31, commuters crossing from Missoula County into Mineral County on Interstate 90 had to slow down for a road construction project going from Alberton over the county line.

The road work goes from mile marker 77 to mile marker 85, an area referred to as the Alberton Interchange to the Huson Interchange. According to the Montana Department of Transportation’s website, the project has been labeled as bridge work.

As construction begins on the westbound bridge, both directions of traffic will be restricted to one lane of traffic in the two eastbound lanes. A 12-foot width restriction has also been imposed by DOT and the speed of traffic will be reduced to 55 MPH.

As of Tuesday, April 1, vehicles wider than 12 feet will be piloted through the construction zone. Trucks will have to stage at the Alberton Parking Area, for the eastbound lanes, and the Frenchtown Inspection area, for the westbound lanes, until traffic is light enough for a pilot vehicle to guide the vehicles through.

According to DOT’s website, the oversized vehicles will be piloted through at 8 a.m. Any vehicles missing the scheduled time will need to wait until the next day’s opening.

The same area recently saw another road construction project, which was completed late last year. The previous project was a complete repaving of the area. DOT personnel did not return calls for comment.