“Those are the best roads in Lake County,” enthused a driver recently after trying out the new surfaces of North Reservoir Road, south of Polson, and Dublin Gulch Road, north of St. Ignatius.

The two roads, plus a litte more than a mile of Moiese Valley Road, were completely reconstructed over the past eight months, transforming rough, rutted roadways into highway-caliber surfaces.

Engineers from WGM Group, which designed and oversaw the project, and Riverside Contracting, which built the new roads, joined Lake County Road Supervisor Jay Garrick for a “walk-through” last month, and appeared pleased with what they saw.

The three projects were financed by a $12.9 million federal RAISE grant, secured in 2022. According to senior project manager Cody Thorson, the tab for reconstruction “will come in right under the grant amount,” despite some unforeseen issues on Dublin Gulch.

“We did good, which is a win,” he said.

The more than 5 mile stretch of Dublin Gulch was particularly challenging to rebuild, Thorson said. Not only was the original road surface subpar, but it was crossed by multiple ditches that required contractors to replace more than 40 culverts prior to irrigation season. They also had to work within a narrow right-of-way, and excavate, grade and fill to build a decent road foundation – especially in the low-lying area east of Post Creek, which is prone to flooding.

According to project engineer Dustin Hover, there were two old culverts in the area, both plugged. They replaced those, added a third to help alleviate flooding, and dug a large drainage ditch on the south side of the road. “The conditions should improve,” he said.

Another challenge was traversing the road’s namesake, Dublin Gulch, a steep passage with a creek at the bottom. The big culvert crossing the creek had been replaced four years ago, after it blew out during a wet spring “so that material was in good shape,” Thorson said. In addition to stabilizing and paving the roadbed, they added a guardrail to enhance safety.

The work on Dublin Gulch began in April and was finished in September. Crews finished the short Moiese Valley segment during the summer.

North Reservoir Road, by contrast, took about two months to complete and was a much smoother process thanks to its more substantial roadbed. That nearly 4-mile road was widened as well to accommodate a new 4-foot bike/pedestrian path.

The fact that Riverside had a gravel pit adjacent to the road sped up the process, according to company engineer George Shick.

Thorson added that Riverside “did a great job on this project,” which required a lot of coordination with residents, farmers and ranchers.

Despite the disruptions posed by road closures and detours, “The public as a whole was great to work with,” Garrick said.

The grant requires the county to monitor maintenance costs, provide traffic counts and document the overall smoothness of the roads over the next three years.

Garrick is confident the county will see an immediate savings in maintenance, since his department has spent as much as $10,000 a year to patch potholes on those roads. 

“I don't foresee us having to do any patching now for many years,” he said.

He also anticipates an uptick in traffic, especially on Dublin Gulch, which was already a well-used cut-across from Montana 212 to U.S. 93, and North Reservoir, which leads to the Lake County Transfer Station. That's sure to see an increase in cyclists as well as vehicles, since it links to an existing bike path on U.S. 93 and connects to Back Road.

Overall, he views the smoother, safer roads as “a great improvement for our community.”  

County Commissioner Gale Decker concurs. 

"We've had numerous positive comments from the public about all three projects," he said. "Dublin Gulch and North Reservoir roads are two of our most heavily traveled county roads and having both of them reconstructed is a huge benefit to our residents."