Upper McDonald Creek Bridge
A bridge replacement is underway on upper McDonald Creek. The bridge provides access to the northwest shore of Lake McDonald including private homes, the Lake McDonald Ranger Station, and trailheads. The new bridge will be built approximately 30 feet upstream of the existing bridge, requiring a realignment of the road approaches.
There is a full closure during construction to North Lake McDonald Road at the intersection with the Going-to-the-Sun Road. There will be no public access, including vehicles, hiking, or biking and no parking at this intersection. Visitors intending on hiking the Johns Lake Loop Trail will need to turn around where trail closed signs are posted. Hikers will not be able to complete the loop.
Bridge construction is expected to go through the entire 2023 construction season and conclude in late 2024.
Camas to North Fork & Northeast Bridges
Glacier National Park is continuing a construction project to rehabilitate 13 bridges throughout the park. The work will take place over the next year. This is the continuation of a two-year project that began last summer.
The bridges currently under construction are as follows:
Bridge
|
Road
|
Anticipated Start Date
|
Access
|
North Fork Bridge
|
Camas Road
|
April 2023
|
Short delays through September 2023. Single lane traffic.
|
Bowman Bridge
|
Inside North Fork Road
|
Spring 2023
|
Anticipated closure no earlier than September 11 with no access to Bowman and Kintla area campgrounds and trailheads for approximately two weeks.
|
Kintla, Akokala, & Ford bridges
|
Inside North Fork Road
|
Spring 2023
|
Anticipated closure no earlier than September 5 with no access to Kintla area campgrounds and trailheads for approximately two weeks. No vehicle access past Big Prairie to Kintla Lake
|
Lee Creek Bridge
|
Chief Mountain Highway
|
Fall 2023
|
Short delays September through late fall 2023.
|
In mid-September, crews expect to finish work at Kintla Creek and begin working at Bowman Creek. There will be no vehicle access to the North Fork area of the park until the expected completion of work in early October. Hiker/Biker access will be available.
Improvements to the bridges include bridge deck and approach repairs, timber pile replacement and repairs, timber curb replacement, painting, concrete repair, erosion control measures, and more. The work is being completed to preserve the existing bridges and ensure continued usage by preventing failure which would require full bridge replacement.
In addition to the Bridge Preservation Project, the GNP Road Crew will also be grading the last five miles of the road to Kintla Lake July through fall 2023. Visitors need to use caution as there will be heavy truck traffic and minor delays. Roads in the North Fork area typically close at the end of November due to winter conditions.
Glacier Drive to North Fork Entrance
Starting July 10, 2023, a portion of Glacier Drive, which is just north of the Polebridge businesses to the bridge entering the park, will be under construction.
Construction within the business area of Polebridge will begin on August 14, 2023. Parking will be restricted to outside the work area until construction is completed.
Visitors to the Polebridge area should expect 30-minute delays before arriving at and departing the park entrance. Updates for the construction project can be found on Montana Department of Transportation's website. Visitors should know, this 30-minute construction zone will be in addition to construction zones inside the park. Please see the “Camas to North Fork & Northeast Bridges” above.
Campground Comfort Station Roofing Project
12 comfort stations will have roofs replaced in August and September 2023. There will be full closures to each comfort station for 1-2 days while materials are removed.
- Rising Sun Campground- 2 comfort stations affected the week of August 21, 2023.
- Apgar Campground- 9 comfort stations affected July through September 2023. Work is being done on one comfort station at a time.
- Fish Creek Campground- 1 comfort station affected late August to early September.
U.S. Highway 89
Expect some traffic control, with short delays between Hudson Bay Divide and Kiowa from late August to early September 2023. More information about the construction project can be found on Montana Department of Transportation's website.