Connect With Your Community!
Connect With Your Community!
Work is completed during the evening on the High-Tension Cable Rail Project. Courtesy photo
The Bozeman area High-Tension Cable Project is complete. Courtesy photo.
Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and Coral Construction Company have completed installing median high-tension cable rail along more than 40 miles of Interstate 90 (I 90) east of Bozeman, from Three Forks east to the Bear Canyon exit. This project is the first phase of a four-phase safety improvement project that will install 150 miles of median high-tension cable rail along sections of I 90 in the Missoula, Butte, and Bozeman areas and Interstate 15 (I 15) in the Butte and Helena areas.
"We thank the community for their support and patience while we completed this important safety improvement project on I 90 in the Bozeman area," said MDT Butte District Administrator Geno Liva. "High-tension cable rail is a potentially life-saving device and will enhance safety features on Montana's interstates."
Built with safety in mind, the Median High-Tension Cable Rail project will provide a flexible barrier of steel cable mounted on steel posts in the center median. The high-tension cable rail reduces crash impact and redirects vehicles from crossing into opposing traffic.
Coral Construction Company was also awarded the Butte area phase. Construction on the Butte area phase began on October 9. Work has paused for the season and will resume in the spring. This phase is anticipated to be completed in 2024. This schedule is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, such as weather and availability of project materials.
"We are proud to continue our partnership with MDT on this project," stated Kris Karpstein, Project Manager for Coral Construction Company. "Our company has installed thousands of miles of median cable barrier throughout the western United States, and we have seen first-hand how effective it is in saving lives."
In the Butte area, median high-tension cable rail will be installed along I 15, beginning at the Buxton Interchange (mile marker 116) and extending north for 18 miles, ending on Butte Hill (mile marker 134). Work on I 90 begins at the Anaconda Interchange (mile marker 219) and extends east for 14 miles to the base of Homestake Pass (mile marker 230), ending two miles east of the Montana Highway 375 (MT 375) and Continental Drive Exit.
Construction on the Missoula phase of this project is anticipated to begin in 2024 and be completed in 2025. This phase includes 48 miles of I 90, from west of Missoula near Wye, extending east to Exit 144 at Bearmouth and three miles at the westbound Quartz Flats Rest Area. A start date for construction of phase four, I 15 near Helena, has yet to be determined.
This project is one component of MDT's Vision Zero mission. Launched in May 2014, Vision Zero is an ongoing statewide collaboration among hundreds of agencies and organizations striving for zero deaths and zero serious injuries on Montana's roadways.
Weekly updates will be available during construction. For more information, please visit the webpage at http://www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/mtmcr/. To subscribe for email updates, or if you have questions, contact Sloane Stinson at [email protected] or call the project hotline at 406-207-4484, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can also sign up for text updates by texting MCRBUTTE for Butte area updates or MCRMISSOULA for Missoula area updates to 41411.
