By Tim Leeds
Crews from Milk River Engineering, Inc. are out on U.S. Highway 2 today, fine-tuning the work on the Havre West project so A-1 Paving can resume work.
Jay Springer, president of Milk River Engineering said they needed to do some more work blue-topping the project so the Kalispell paving company can accurately grade the highway before putting oil on it.
Kevin Mohl, president of A-1 Paving, said they were trying to get it primed but were having some difficulty setting the grade, so the decided to "pull everybody to regroup, let the dust settle."
He said they decided to let Milk River Engineering put in more stakes to set the grade more accurately then bring their crews back in next week to re-grade and prime it.
"We'll be there Monday, you can bet on that," Mohl said.
Mohl said they expect to start paving on July 5, have the paving done about July 17, and have the entire project, streetlights and all, done by Aug. 1.
He said the curbs are finished, and there is just a section close to the Big K to finish for sidewalks. That section was not included in the original project plan, but work by the city, county and Bear Paw Development Corporation North Montana allowed it to be added.
Mohl said they are actually ahead of schedule, even with the extra work caused when the hill above Hillside Trailer Court across from Fleet Wholesale Supply Co. created a need to shore up the hillside and work that section of the road ahead of plan.
Mohl said having to let the surface sit through the winter might have been inconvenient to drivers, but is probably for the best. He said letting the surface sit through the winter creates a better surface to pave, and the road will end up being a better road for it.
"Mother Nature does a little better job than tractors," he said.
