Further improvement projects on dangerous US 93 planned for future
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By Joyce Lobeck for the Valley Journal
LAKE COUNTY — There’s a bumper sticker that says: “Pray for me. I drive Highway 93.”
US Route 93 is a significant U.S. Highway that runs from the Canadian border in Montana to the Mexican border in Arizona. It is known for being a scenic route, especially the portion in Montana between Missoula and Glacier National Park.
It’s also known as a dangerous highway, although it isn’t ranked as the worst in the United States. That distinction goes to Interstate 95 along the East Coast.
However, several two-lane stretches and hazardous weather conditions along with increasing traffic and the presence of wildlife, especially in Montana, make US 93 a route requiring caution. Its history of fatal accidents through Montana is illustrated by white crosses along the roadway that mark where people have lost their lives.
Just in the 14 miles from St. Ignatius to Ronan, there are 28 white crosses and memorials to those killed on the highway. Soon there will be four more crosses to mark where four women died in an accident August 27 near mile marker 38.5 in the Post Creek Hill area.
In recognition of the need for improvements to the vital and busy transportation corridor, US 93 is a priority for the Montana Department of Transportation with two major projects planned: the US 93 North-Post Creek Hill project and the US 93 Ninepipe Eagle Pass Trail project.
Construction is scheduled to start in the fall of 2026 on improvements to the US 93 Post Creek Hill area. The Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP) grant funding for these improvements has been secured. The NSFLTP grant program, managed by the Federal Highway Administration, provides competitive federal funding for the construction, reconstruction or rehabilitation of transportation facilities on or accessing federal and tribal lands.
However, the construction cost of this complex project exceeds available funding and a phased approach will be used to deliver improvements. The site conditions of this area, including geotechnical challenges and extensive surface waters, complicate construction, leading to increased project costs in the current market conditions. Current plans are to construct a northbound truck climbing lane at Post Creek Hill and a new bridge over Post Creek that will facilitate wildlife movement under the highway.
MDT and its partners are currently in the design phase of the project. Geotechnical work, including additional soil and groundwater testing, is planned for early 2026. Efforts to secure right-of-way are now underway.
Concurrently, the design phase of another project, the US 93 Ninepipe Eagle Pass Trail, is also underway although it has been scaled back due to funding limitations. Planned improvements near the intersection of US 93 and Eagle Pass Trail now will include a wildlife overpass, shared-use path facilities, turn-lane additions and roadway reconstruction with widened shoulders. Construction is tentatively planned to begin in 2027.
The design and reconstruction of US 93 in the Ninepipe area was originally going to be funded primarily through a 2023 Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) grant awarded to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). That funding was rescinded in July.
“This is an example of how Montana’s transportation needs exceed available funding,” said MDT Missoula District Administrator Bob Vosen. “We will continue to work with our partners at CSKT and FHWA to find solutions and funding to complete these projects.”
Meanwhile, work on the highway from Ronan to Polson is fully complete, improving the flow of traffic and safety on that stretch of road. Those completed improvements include:
Widening that portion of US 93 to four lanes, with two travel lanes in each direction.
Installation of a new traffic signal at the intersection of US 93 with Third Avenue and Old US 93.
Construction of a 600-foot two-lane segment on First Avenue, starting at Round Butte Road, in preparation for the construction of the Ronan-Urban project, when First Avenue will become the US 93 southbound lanes through Ronan.
Permanent closure of Spring Creek Road at US 93.
Construction of a new shared-use path connecting Round Butte Road with the existing shared-use path along US 93.
The Ronan Urban Project, in which First Avenue will become the US 93 southbound lanes through Ronan, is still in the design phase. A construction date has not yet been determined.
