The Flathead Valley’s streets, sidewalks and transportation hubs have been buzzing with construction over the past year, with more projects planned for 2026.  

Glacier Park International Airport is closing in on completion of its terminal expansion. Whitefish will see its largest road reconstruction project yet next year. Columbia Falls will eventually have a shared-use path connecting the city. Kalispell's West Reserve Drive rebuild continues to chug along.  

Glacier Airport is expected to finish its terminal expansion by next spring and has a significant runway reconstruction project planned in July 2026 that will impact travel.  

The airport in June celebrated the completion of its central atrium connecting the ticketing area and security checkpoints with the newly renovated baggage claim and car rental offices. The building’s frontage also underwent a facelift, and a third baggage claim device is expected to be operational come January, according to Airport Director Rob Ratkowski.  

The upstairs portion of the terminal that housed gates two and three is being remodeled with an additional gate. Ratkowski said the area won't open until May.  

“And then we’re going to be doing some landscaping up front in the spring. And then that's pretty much a wrap on the project,” Ratkowski said.  

The entire feat is expected to cost around $168 million. The majority of funding came through federal infrastructure grants.  

The 125,000 added square feet were needed to handle the passenger traffic that has doubled within the past decade. In 2014, the airport welcomed fewer than 250,000 passengers. Through October this year, the airport recorded 446,473. The airport has seen a 12.4% increase in passengers since 2024, according to Ratkowski.   

“I’ve been here for almost 22 years, so that’s a mind-boggling increase,” Ratkowski said. “We’re just continuing to see strong growth. Our traffic is not slowing down.”  

The airport will significantly limit operations for four weeks in July next year, when tourism is at its peak, to overhaul its 16-year-old runway that has started showing signs of wear and tear. The transit hub will be closed on Mondays starting at 6 p.m. through Fridays at noon from July 6 to July 31.  

The weather was ultimately the reason for the project’s less-than-ideal timing. To meet federal requirements, the temperature cannot drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and there must be little to no rain during the repairs, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.  

While July was determined to have the best chance of yielding the right conditions, the airport anticipates seeing 40% less flights if carriers don’t increase trips during open hours. 

“We’re going to work really hard with the carriers to get more capacity on the days that we are open. How those efforts play out is to be determined, because it’s not an easy task to just put more airplanes in the city or whatever,” Ratkowski said.  

Ratkowski expects to know whether carriers will make schedule adjustments by early 2026.  

To learn more about the runway project visit Glacier Airport’s website at iflyglacier.com/runway-rehabilitation/.  

KALISPELL HAS seen its fair share of road projects this year, one of which is the widening of West Reserve Drive between Hutton Ranch Road and Whitefish Stage.  

The Montana Department of Transportation in partnership with the city is working to expand the major collector from three to five lanes, including a center turn lane and a shared-use path.  

Work on the project paused for the winter, but the current traffic signals will stay active at the intersection of West Reserve Drive and Whitefish Stage Road until dedicated turn lanes are fully completed in 2026, according to a November update from the state transportation department.  

The department this year also installed improvements to Wyoming Road’s intersection with U.S. 93 and is expected to complete improvements at Treeline Road’s intersection with the highway by the spring.  

Upgrades to both intersections include dedicated left turn lanes, upgraded sidewalks and ramps. 

Kalispell saw maintenance and improvements on an array of city roads this year, including Third Street East, Fifth Avenue East, Glenwood Drive, West Oregon Street and Seventh Street West, according to Deputy Director of Public Works Keith Haskins.  

With the influx of new development came 2 miles of new city street. The roads are paid for and constructed by the developers before being transferred to the city.  

Completed in the fall was a new shared-use path along Four Mile Drive that starts from the existing sidewalk at Foxglove Drive, runs along the Dan Johns Kalispell Youth Athletic Complex, formerly Kidsports Complex, and connects to another path at Champion Way to the east.  

IN WHITEFISH, East Sixth Street between Spokane Avenue and Pine Avenue got a rebuild this year that “provided some significant safety improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians, especially going to and from school,” said Whitefish Public Works Director Craig Workman.  

A portion of East Sixth Street from Columbia Avenue to Pine Avenue was slimmed to a one way to allow for a shared use path as well.  

Over the summer, the jersey barriers along the Baker Avenue viaduct were moved to widen the shared use paths on either side.  

Next year the city will undergo one of its largest road reconstruction projects to date, Workman said.  

Armory Road will receive utility upgrades, a shared-use path and street lighting along with curb, gutter and stormwater drainage. The $3.5 million project will be funded with the city’s resort tax. 

The busy road currently lacks bike and walking paths, the city considered the project a high priority, Workman said.  

Motorists leaving and entering Whitefish from the west may have noticed heavy construction over the summer along U.S. 93 that prompted traffic to be reduced to one way in each direction for some time.  

The Montana Department of Transportation is rebuilding the road with a new driving surface, designated turn lanes, a guardrail, wider shoulders, new signage and a separated shared-use path, according to the state agency.  

While construction paused for the winter, two-lane traffic will remain at reduced speeds of 45 miles per hour, according to the state agency.  The project is expected to be wrapped up by the summer of 2027.  

COLUMBIA FALLS plans to install a pair of shared-use paths that will connect the far corners of the city by the end of 2026.  

A kid will eventually be able to ride their “bike all the way on these pathways from the northeast corner to the southwest corner of the city, and it’ll pass in front of every school,” said City Manager Eric Hanks.  

The paths will be accessible all year round because the city will provide snow removal, Hanks said.  

After several years and multiple applications, Columbia Falls in December was awarded $10 million in federal funds to build 1.3 miles of roadway, 1.7 miles of sidewalks and 1 mile of multi-use pathways in the city. The funds also require a $500,000 city match. 

Called the Gateway to Glacier Safety and Mobility Plan, improvements will be made to Fourth Avenue West, Seventh Street and 13th Street as well as upgrade the water main underneath the roads. The project also calls for a mile of multi-use pathway to be built along Fourth Avenue West and 13th Street.  

Construction is expected to start in March 2026 and wrap up in November 2026, according to Hanks.  

The second project will be building an asphalt multi-use path and concrete sidewalk along the south side of Railroad Street and a portion of Fourth Avenue West.  

The Railroad Street Path and Walks project is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2026.  The project is being paid for through the state’s Transportation Alternatives program and will require local matching funds.  

There are currently no paths or sidewalks in the area, and many people walk the railroad tracks as a dangerous alternative to the busy roadway, according to the Montana Department of Transportation.  

The city also hired a contractor to complete the second phase of its Downtown Sidewalk and Parking Improvement Project, replacing or installing concrete curbs, gutters and sidewalks in various downtown streets along Nucleus Ave.  

Streets getting a revamp include, A Street West, First Street East, Second Street East, Third Street West, First Avenue East and Second Avenue West. 

CREWS WILL continue working on replacing Sportsman’s Bridge on Montana 82 near Bigfork throughout the winter. Sletten Construction will be focusing on building the bridge foundation using a crane and barges, according to the Montana Department of Transportation.  

The narrow bridge built in 1955 was not designed to hold the heavy traffic that came with  Flathead County's boom in population, according to the state transportation department.  

The new bridge will be built on the south side of the existing one and will feature two 12-foot travel lanes and two 10-foot shoulders. Traffic is expected on the new bridge in the fall of 2026. The old one will be demolished in the winter of 2026.   

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and [email protected].