State has $438M for highway, bridge projects

HELENA (AP) — The Montana Department of Transportation has more than $400 million to spend on highway and bridge repair projects this year — work that could create more than 12,000 jobs.

The 2013 Legislature gave the department the authority to spend $438 million in federal and state money this year, agency director Mike Tooley said. About 85 percent of that, or $372 million, will be spent this spring, summer and fall, Lee Newspapers of Montana reported.

"Business is booming in Montana," Tooley said. "The Legislature treated us pretty well. They realize the importance of transportation infrast...