Blue Slide Road work addressed at MDT open house
From left to right, Drew Fetters, Bob Vosen, Brian Wayra and Brett Gustafson were all smiles ready to speak to locals about the upcoming Blue Slide Road construction. (Erin Jusseaume/ Clark Fork Valley Press)
The Montana Department of Transportation hosted an open house for Blue Side Road residents last week in Thompson Falls.
Bob Vosen, Missoula District Construction Engineer, along with Geostablization International’s Bryan Wayra and Brett Gustafson and MDT Project Manager Drew Fetters welcomed residents to the open house at the Thompson Falls Courthouse to answer questions and listen to concerns for the upcoming stage II of the road project.
Earlier this year, with spring runoffs a portion of the Blue Slide Road had washed away leaving the road cut off as officials scrambled to get it repaired.
They reiterated that the job to get the road up and running again was not a permanent fix, which was why they felt it important to host the recent open house for residents.
“What we did earlier in the year was a short-term fix,” Vosen said. “We’re still looking at long-term stabilization for the road, and a permanent culvert drain.”
“We wanted to hear from the public all their concerns and questions. This is mainly to work out what are the best times and best days of the week to work on the next stage of repairing the road,” Wayra added.
Like many road works, there could be times where the road would be shut down; however, all officials that were in attendance wanted to make a minimal impact on locals — so they weren’t stuck having to make the long trek around Trout Creek to get into Thompson Falls or vice versa.
Vosen said that the original culvert drain had shifted over the years, which aided in the washout.
“We want to re-align with the current runoff of the natural stream that comes down. Then we will add a larger culvert, which will be approximately five feet in diameter to allow water and small debris to move through,” Vosen explained.
All officials also ensured that they would make as little impact to the immediate surrounding environment as they possibly can.
“We don’t anticipate to have to knock trees down or move soil with big impact,” Gustafson said. “There will be as minimal impact to the environment as we possibly can make. We may though remove some smaller trees that are already laying on the ground so they don’t come down during a runoff. That will help with erosion control that we look to ensure as well for the next stage.”
The project is expected to begin sometime this fall. MDT is predicting it will be early October to begin the project while the weather is still relatively decent.