Highway 2 construction will cause traffic delays

Several small construction jobs on U.S. Highway 2 between Havre and Chinook will create short delays until about the first of the year, the Montana Department of Transportation said today.

Engineering project manager Mark Beckedahl said the projects will improve guard rails on about 14 bridges at a cost of about $1.3 million. The work won't cause delays during the night, but portable traffic signals and pilot cars will be used to direct traffic during the day at construction sites.

"We'll try to keep the sections as short as we can," he added.

The work is being done to enhance safety and bring the guard rails up to federal requirements, Beckedahl said. Wooden guard rails along the bridges are being replaced with steel ones. Also, guard rails will be installed along the approaches to the bridges, angling out from the bridges into the borrow pits.

Omo Construction of Billings is the primary contractor.

Similar projects are being done around the state, Beckedahl said.