Granite Awarded $23.7 Million Two Medicine Road Rehabilitation Project in Glacier National Park
Granite has been awarded a contract by the Federal Highway Administration’s Western Federal Lands Highway Division (WFL) to rehabilitate Two Medicine Road in Glacier National Park, Montana. Valued at approximately $23.7 million, the project represents an important investment in the park’s transportation infrastructure and will improve access to the popular Two Medicine area.
The contract is being delivered through a partnership between the Western Federal Lands Highway Division, the National Park Service and the Blackfeet Nation. Granite expects the project to be included in its third-quarter Capital Allocation Plan (CAP).
The rehabilitation will cover approximately 7.22 miles of Two Medicine Road, which serves as the primary access corridor to Glacier National Park’s Two Medicine area. The roadway plays an important role in connecting visitors, park personnel and surrounding communities with one of the park’s significant recreational and natural destinations.
Through the planned improvements, Granite will focus on improving roadway safety, reliability and long-term performance while working within the environmentally and culturally sensitive setting of Glacier National Park. The project is expected to provide a more durable transportation corridor capable of supporting continued visitor access and park operations.
Comprehensive Roadway Improvements
Granite’s scope of work encompasses a broad range of transportation construction activities. The company will carry out roadway reconstruction, roadway obliteration, crushed surfacing and hot mix asphalt paving as part of the rehabilitation program.
The project will also include restoration of parking areas and improvements to drainage infrastructure. New pavement striping will be installed to improve roadway visibility and traffic organization, while stream channel restoration will address water-related infrastructure and environmental considerations along the corridor.
In addition to roadway improvements, the project will include the construction of new visitor amenities. These improvements are intended to enhance the overall experience for people accessing the Two Medicine area while complementing the surrounding natural environment.
One of the key elements of the project is the use of full-depth reclamation with cement. This construction technique allows the existing pavement materials to be recycled in place rather than requiring the majority of the existing roadway material to be removed and replaced with imported materials.
By recycling the existing pavement within the roadway structure, the project can reduce the need for imported materials and decrease haul traffic through the national park. This approach can help minimize construction-related transportation activity while making more efficient use of materials already present on the site.
The use of full-depth reclamation also supports the project’s broader objective of delivering long-lasting roadway improvements while taking into account the unique environmental conditions of a national park setting.
Strengthening Regional Partnerships
The Two Medicine Road project is Granite’s fourth Federal Highway Administration Western Federal Lands project in the region over the past three years. The award further strengthens the company’s relationship with WFL and demonstrates its continued involvement in federally funded transportation infrastructure projects across the region.
Paul Harding, Granite Regional Vice President, said the project strengthens the company’s partnership with the Western Federal Lands Highway Division and reflects a shared commitment to maintaining access to important national destinations.
Harding also highlighted the opportunity to develop stronger relationships with the Blackfeet Nation and the National Park Service through the project. The collaboration among the agencies, tribal representatives and construction team will be important to delivering the work in a manner that recognizes the area’s environmental, cultural and recreational significance.
The partnership is particularly important because Glacier National Park encompasses landscapes with significant ecological, cultural and historical value. Construction activities must therefore be carefully coordinated to maintain access while protecting the surrounding environment and respecting the interests of communities connected to the land.
Supporting Glacier National Park
Two Medicine is one of Glacier National Park’s notable areas, attracting visitors interested in scenic landscapes, outdoor recreation and the park’s natural environment. Two Medicine Road provides a critical transportation connection to the area, making the condition and reliability of the roadway important for both visitors and park operations.
Rehabilitating the corridor will help address existing roadway needs and improve its ability to serve users over the long term. The combination of pavement reconstruction, drainage improvements, stream restoration and parking-area upgrades will address multiple infrastructure components rather than focusing solely on the road surface.
The addition of visitor amenities will further enhance the functionality of the area. By integrating transportation improvements with visitor-focused infrastructure, the project is expected to contribute to a more reliable and accessible experience for people traveling through the Two Medicine area.
Focus on Sustainable Construction
The project’s full-depth reclamation approach demonstrates Granite’s focus on construction methods that can improve material efficiency. Reusing existing pavement in place reduces the volume of material that must be transported away from the site and limits the need to bring large quantities of new aggregate and other materials into the park.
Reducing haul traffic can be particularly beneficial in a national park environment, where minimizing construction impacts is an important consideration. The approach can also reduce the number of heavy vehicle movements required during construction while maximizing the use of existing roadway materials.
As work progresses, coordination among Granite, WFL, the National Park Service and the Blackfeet Nation will remain central to project delivery. The collaborative approach is intended to ensure that construction meets transportation requirements while addressing environmental and cultural considerations.
The $23.7 million Two Medicine Road rehabilitation project adds to Granite’s portfolio of transportation infrastructure work and reinforces its role in delivering complex projects in sensitive environments. Once completed, the improvements will provide safer and more dependable access to Glacier National Park’s Two Medicine area while supporting the long-term performance of the roadway.
Through the project, Granite and its partners are investing in infrastructure that connects visitors and communities with one of the region’s most important natural destinations. The rehabilitation also demonstrates how modern construction techniques, material recycling and collaborative project delivery can be combined to improve transportation infrastructure while limiting impacts within protected public lands.
Source Link:https://www.businesswire.com/
