Kalispell, Mont., recently received $25 million in federal funding via the Rural Surface Transportation Grant, which will dramatically improve the city in northwest Montana.
Kalispell will see construction to widen West Reserve Road from three to five lanes including the addition a center turn lane, a widening of Stillwater Bridge and new/landscaped streets with dedicated shared bike and pedestrian pathways, according to a news release. Hutton Ranch Road and Whitefish Stage Road intersections will be redesigned to reduce congestion and improve access as well. The investment will foster pedestrian, cyclist and road safety.
"We recently announced funding for a project in Kalispell, MT, one of the gateways to Glacier National Park,” Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in a Twitter post. “The improvements will reduce traffic congestion, move goods faster and make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.”
Rural communities are receiving the most significant investment in history to repair roads and bridges, improve transportation options and upgrade airports and ports to provide safe and efficient transportation for goods and travelers, according to a fact sheet. Targeting the holes in transportation, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates billions of dollars for areas of persistent poverty and historically disadvantaged communities to revamp rural infrastructure, facilitate connectivity that will prompt economic growth and create good-paying jobs.
From a national perspective, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's $2 billion will provide competitive grants to planning organizations, local governments and Tribal governments to improve and expand the surface transportation infrastructure in rural areas, the release reported. The program aims to increase connectivity, enhance safety and reliability, generate economic growth and improve quality of life.
“This administration is delivering improvements that rural communities have gone without for too long,” Buttigieg said in a Jan. 20 post on Twitter. “USDOT is leading the charge to help rebuild transportation systems.”
