Bill includes $2.5M for Noxon bridge project

A bill that includes funding for replacement of the Noxon bridge is moving toward a vote in the U.S. House.

The bridge project was one of a few Western Montana requests included the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill, according to U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke’s office. Zinke is a member of the Appropriations Committee and THUD subcommittee.

The bill requests $2.5 million for phase 1 of the Noxon bridge replacement project. Zinke had originally requested $10 million in the federal appropriation bill to replace the historical span. 

Currently, the single-lane span that connects the town to Montana 200 is under a reduced load limit. A study recommends full replacement of the 102-year-old bridge, rather than rehabilitation.

“Not every dollar spent by D.C. is a waste, much of it is needed investment and infrastructure is investments,” Zinke said in a statement. “The Montana investments secured in this year’s transportation appropriations bill includes some of my top priorities. These are projects I’ve been working on with community leaders and county commissioners for months and in some case years,” said Zinke. 

Zinke’s funding requests included:

$10,000,000 for the Seeley Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant

$2,500,000 for the Sanders County Noxon Bridge Replacement Project Phase 1

$2,500,000 for the Ravalli County Wastewater Treatment Plant

$454,000 for Rural Airport Reconstruction and Emergency Services Expansion

$1,150,000 for repaving Marten Creek Road

$1,000,000 for Flathead County North Fork Road guardrails

$1,000,000 for Groff Lane Bridge Replacement

$1,000,000 for Old Corvallis Road Repair

“Noxon Bridge has holes the size of trash can lids, and Pyramid Lumber shut down largely because of the lack of infrastructure to support housing in Seeley Lake,” Zinke said. “These funds are desperately needed, and our communities won’t be ignored any longer. I’m glad to see this bill move out of committee and head to the House floor for a vote.”