Maclay Bridge/South Avenue Bridge

Follow this page for updates and let us know your questions about the Maclay Bridge.

The Maclay Bridge west of Missoula is now open.

Missoula County Public Works completed the necessary repairs to allow traffic back on the bridge, and engineering firm HDR inspected the repairs. Crews resurfaced the bridge, and it reopened to traffic, bikes and pedestrians on June 11.

The weight limit for the bridge is currently at 11 tons. Though the repairs allowed the County to reopen the one-lane bridge, placed at its current location in 1953, these repairs are not intended as a long-term fix. Construction on a new bridge upstream that would connect South Avenue to River Pines Road is tentatively slated to begin in 2026. More information on the South Avenue Bridge is  online. 

We know the bridge closure has been a major disruption, and we appreciate your patience as staff worked to reopen it.

We would also like to remind everyone that jumping from the Maclay Bridge is illegal, and jumpers will be ticketed. Those wishing to swim should plan to be dropped off and picked up near the bridge and to not park near the bridge or in the adjacent neighborhoods. There are also bike racks available for those commuting by bike.

Background

Missoula County closed Maclay Bridge on Jan. 26, 2024, after the Montana Department of Transportation informed Public Works staff on Jan. 25 that the County needed to close the bridge as soon as possible due to structural concerns. MDT determined that the bridge, located west of Missoula in the Target Range neighborhood, could no longer carry traffic, including pedestrians and bicyclists, safely and reliably. The bridge has now been repaired and reopened to traffic on June 11, 2024.

Missoula County knows the closure added time and miles to residents’ commutes, and we understand and empathize with the frustrations associated with that.

Missoula County and MDT are collaborating to construct a replacement bridge that would connect South Avenue to River Pines Road, half a mile upstream from the Maclay Bridge. You can find a complete timeline and more information on this project on MDT’s Bitterroot River Bridge project page (also referred to as the “South Avenue Bridge” project). The timeline can be found under “Links” on the right-hand side. Though Missoula County has been a partner in this project, MDT is taking the lead on construction. If you have any comments on the South Avenue Bridge project, please submit them via MDT’s comment form.

Currently, the County, MDT and Federal Highway Administration are regularly meeting to complete the necessary steps required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966. It’s critical that the process and requirements under each act be addressed accurately to reduce the risk of delays during the project development. The programmatic agreement for the Section 106 portion of the NHPA is expected to be completed in June 2024, with the NEPA document being signed by FHWA potentially in July or August of 2024. This timeline is tentative and can change.

Once the NEPA process is complete, the County and MDT will continue to collaborate on the delivery of the project, but MDT will take the lead on project management and delivery. MDT has the project tentatively slated for funding in 2026 from the federal and state gas tax funds through MDT’s Off-System Bridge Program.

Follow this page for updates. If you have questions about the Maclay Bridge closure or South Avenue Bridge project, please read the FAQs on the right-hand side to ensure your questions haven’t already been answered. If they haven’t, ask them below.