Federal cuts hamper Highway 93N construction
Laura Lundquist
(Missoula Current) The Trump administration’s recent retraction of federal funding has reduced or eliminated some planned work on U.S. Highway 93 North through the Flathead Reservation.
Last Thursday, the Montana Department of Transportation announced that a recent loss of federal funds will require the department to cut work back on two of three portions of a project on U.S. Highway 93 in Lake County. The three parts are the US 93 Ninepipe project, the US 93 Wildlife Overpass and the Eagle Pass Trail Safety projects.
A 2023 Neighborhood Access and Equity grant of almost $75 million awarded to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes was rescinded in July. This money was to be used to design and reconstruct US 93 in the Ninepipe area and would have covered more than 80% of the project cost. The project included three new bridges, intersection improvements, roadway widening and wildlife fencing and accomodation. Now, that part of the project is on hold with no funding.
Under the Biden administration, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act created the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program to provide funds for projects that improve walkability, safety, and affordable transportation access and to address existing transportation infrastructure that creates negative impacts on the human or natural environment. The Act appropriated $3.2 billion for use from 2022 through 2026 but the Trump administration has pulled that money back.
However, the associated Wildlife Overpass and the Eagle Pass Trail Safety projects will move ahead since they had different sources of funding. Improvements near the intersection of US 93 and Eagle Pass Trail, which include a wildlife overpass, shared-use path, new turn-lane, and widened shoulders are still planned for construction in 2027.
Just south of the intersection, construction of the Eagle Pass Trail remains unfunded.
Farther south, the US 93 Post Creek Hill project between Red Horn Road and Gunlock Road was scheduled to begin construction next year after receiving a $30 million grant in 2023 through the U.S. Department of Transportation Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects grant program created in 2015. The original plan for the project was to construct a multi-span bridge and northbound passing lane over Post Creek; widen the roadway to include 8-foot shoulders; develop wildlife collision reduction infrastructure; add left-turn lanes and create a shared-use path.
However, MDT said the cost of this complex project exceeds the available funding, so they will be improving a shorter stretch of the road. Improvements planned for construction in 2026 include a northbound passing lane and a new bridge over Post Creek that facilitates wildlife movement.
On Monday, the CSKT Natural Resources Department expressed their disappointment in a social media post.
“Sad news, neighbors. The CSKT staff and MDT partners and grant writing contractors worked really hard to write grants and secure funding for the highway 93 reconstruction. Our various staff met weekly trying to expedite the design, so we could get the dollars that were awarded on the ground and reconstructing the last section of US 93 on the Flathead Reservation left to be reconstructed. That included Post Creek near Red Horn Road to just south of Ronan. We will continue to look for funding to make this highway safe for all of us to drive,” the CSKT post said.