State Park Road closure set for gas pipeline relocation
Work is expected to begin this summer on the reconstruction of State Park Road. (Heidi Desch/Whitefish Pilot)
Modifications to the traffic flow on State Park Road begin today including a closure of the road as crews work to relocate a natural gas pipeline.
NorthWestern Energy announced that beginning on Thursday, May 2 at 10 a.m. until the end of the work day the road will be single-lane traffic with a flagger from Lion Mountain Road to Haugen Heights Road.
That same 2,000-foot section of State Park Road will be closed, except for local access, for three weeks beginning on Tuesday, May 7.
Local access will include Eagle Ridge Circle and Forest Ridge Drive. Rocky Mountain Transport has arranged alternative pick up and drop off locations for students who ride the school bus and is in contact with the parents and guardians of those students, according to NorthWestern Energy. The existing North Western Energy natural gas pipeline is being relocated as part of a City of Whitefish project on State Park Road. The existing natural gas pipeline is in conflict with the upcoming City of Whitefish State Park Road reconstruction efforts.
This work is Phase 1 of a project that will also include relocating the natural gas line along State Park Road from Haugen Heights Road north to the railroad tracks. That second project, Phase II, is currently scheduled to take place in 2020.
For questions about the North Western Energy natural gas pipeline relocation, contact North Western Energy District Engineer Eric Smith at eric.smith@northwestern.com or 406-871-2570.