County Bridge Maintenance

Arlene Drive Bridge, which crosses the Clark Fork River near Clinton, was constructed in 1976 and though it is not load-restricted or scour critical, it does have a low sufficiency rating – 49.6 out of 100 – which is a way to rate a bridge’s structural adequacy, safety, serviceability and functionality. Missoula County has not marked this bridge as urgent compared to other bridge needs throughout the county. However, Missoula County Public Works has this bridge on their radar. The bridge serves a small number of properties mainly located in Granite County.

Petty Creek Bridge, which crosses Petty Creek in the Nine Mile area, was constructed in 1964 and though it is not load-restricted or scour critical, it does require some maintenance to extend the life of the bridge. Due to this, Missoula County has not marked this bridge as urgent compared to other bridge needs throughout the county. However, Missoula County Public Works has this bridge on their radar and plan to address it when funding allows. Currently, the County is working with a consultant to get a preliminary engineering report for rehabilitation of this bridge.

The County is evaluating the cost and scope of railing upgrades for the Van Buren Pedestrian Bridge, which crosses the Clark Fork near the University of Montana. Missoula County is working with a consultant to get a cost estimate for a railing upgrade. Missoula County has not marked this bridge as urgent compared to other bridge needs in throughout the county. However, Missoula County Public Works has this bridge on their radar and plan to address it when funding allows.

The railing for the Mountainview Drive Pedestrian Bridge, which crosses Rattlesnake Creek near Tom Green Memorial Park in Missoula, needs to be replaced. A consultant has completed a preliminary engineering report, and the cost of replacing the railing is estimated at $200,000. The County plans to work with the Missoula Metropolitan Planning Organization and the City of Missoula to apply for Transportation Alternative funding during the next round of project requests.