Lincoln County officials have started the permit process to reconstruct Lower Granite Creek Bridge and Lake Creek Bridge, two of nine bridges that washed out during December’s catastrophic flooding.

These bridges had the biggest impact on Lincoln County residents and were prioritized for repairs, according to County Emergency Management Director Boyd White. Lower Granite Creek bridge, which stretched across Big Cherry Creek, had 334 average daily trips, according to state data. Lake Creek bridge, which spanned over Keeler Creek, averaged 100 daily trips. 

Engineers wrapped up damage assessments on all roads and bridges in late December and completed bridge restoration plans earlier this week, White said. Officials are debating whether to use county road crews for reconstruction or put out bids for contractors.  

None of the three Lincoln County commissioners responded to requests for comment from the Daily Inter Lake.  

The loss of the bridge on Farm to Market Road has also disrupted life for many Lincoln County residents, White said. However, reconstruction of the state-owned bridge will be handled by the Montana Department of Transportation.  

A spokesperson for the state agency said federal funding is still being secured to reconstruct the Farm to Market bridge and a second state-owned bridge on Thompson Pass that stretched across Prospect Creek.  

“Early analysis indicated that a bridge replacement is the best long-term solution for [Farm to Market bridge], and a new bridge is currently being modeled while environmental and right-of-way impacts are being investigated,” said spokesperson Natalee Stout.  

Officials are prioritizing the Farm to Market bridge project over the one on Thompson Pass, she said, because the latter road is closed for the season. Department officials hope to have a permanent solution by the end of the year. 

GOV. GREG Gianforte is seeking an additional $16.3 million in federal funds for Lincoln County through two major disaster declaration requests submitted to the White House this month. Montana only sets aside $16 million a year in disaster appropriations, the governor said, placing the state “in a financially precarious position without additional federal support.” 

“These recent historic disasters impacted the state of Montana within one week of each other,” Gianforte said in a statement last week. "This is unparalleled for this time of year and occurred before the anticipated spring runoff. Consequently, over one third of the verified windstorm damage occurred in Northwest Montana, which is the focus of my preceding Major Disaster Declaration request.” 

The first request, submitted Jan. 9, asked for $9.986 million for flood damages to Lincoln County. A second request submitted Jan. 16 seeks an additional $6.5 million for wind damage repair for the county. 

Up to $5 million in federal funding has already been OK'd by the Trump administration, which approved a presidential emergency declaration request submitted on Dec. 16 by Gianforte. The funds supported emergency costs to ensure the health and safety of residents in Sanders and Lincoln counties and the Blackfeet Nation in response to the flooding.    

“Thanks to President Trump’s quick response, Montana is securing the additional resources our communities need to respond to this emergency,” Gianforte said. “While we assess the damage caused to critical infrastructure, this federal support will ensure the continued health and safety of all Montanans affected.” 

Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected].