By Michael Heins
Montana County Commissioners met in Great Falls to vote on a priority list for road work on county's secondary roads.
Hill County Commissioners met with other county commissioners and the Montana Department of Highways to vote on a priority list for secondary roads.
The vote will dictate how the roads will be constructed and how the priority in construction will be set in all of these counties, this vote will set the priority list, for funding, for the next five years.
The vote was based on a point system and some of the selective criteria was:
1. Preservation of secondary system (ride rating) 100;
2. Reduction of hazards (based on safety) 85;
3. Reduction of maintenance cost 75;
4. Consideration of traffic volume 60;
5. Consideration for completed P.E. 50.
Hill County was rated as number four on the list. The funding will go for work on the St. Joe Road north of Havre. Twenty-nine miles of the road have been paved, but the last nine miles are still gravel.
"The last nine miles will be paved," Hill County Commissioner Doug Kaercher said. "This project got a lot of points for completing the corridor."
The road on the Canadian side has been paved down to the border.
