Beartooth Highway closed for months

BILLINGS – The stretch of the scenic Beartooth Highway closed due to mudslides will not open for months, state Department of Transportation officials said Friday.

However, a contract for the repair work will contain “substantial incentives” to have the work done by mid-October, transportation director Jim Lynch said in a statement.

Charity Watt Levis, a spokeswoman for the department, said there also would be penalties if the project was not completed by May 31, 2006. The highway, which is closed part of the year by snow, typically opens over the Memorial Day weekend.

“The way we’re handling this contract is innovative,” Levis said. She did not have additional details.

Mudslides prompted by snowmelt and heavy rains last month covered parts of U.S. 212 near Red Lodge with debris, and high water also affected the road in other areas, officials have said. Earlier this week, after a meeting with local residents in Red Lodge, Lynch said about a 20-mile section of road was affected and 13 areas were impacted by slides. In some places, he said, the road was damaged and in others, it was destroyed.

The highway is a route to Yellowstone National Park’s northeast entrance that winds over 10,940-foot Beartooth Pass. Getting the portion of the road reopened is a leading concern for Red Lodge, a community that looks to the business from tourists on the highway. Officials have touted as an alternative the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, saying that drive time to Yellowstone National Park is similar to that of the Beartooth Highway.

Lynch said the department is putting out a request for proposal to hire a construction and design contractor and recommendations would be made June 15 to the Montana Transportation Commission.

Repairs are estimated at about $20 million.