Railroad crossing upgrade planned west of Havre

Plans are in the works to install gates and lights at a railroad crossing west of Havre, as well as upgrading the crossing, and the Montana Department of Transportation is seeking comments on the proposal.

MDT announced in a press release that the plans are a cooperative project between the department, Hill County and BNSF Railway Co. with MDT paying for the signal system - flashing lights and gates - and part of the cost of installing two 32-foot concrete crossing surfaces where County Road 403 crosses the railroad tracks. The crossing is about 6½ miles west of the junction of U.S. Highway 2 and U.S. Highway 87.

The county will widen the roadway to a 24-foot top through the crossing, the release said.

The purpose is to improve safety at the crossing, and work is tentatively scheduled for construction in spring of 2015.

For more information, people can contact John Althof at 406-444-7247 or Steve Prinzing, Great Falls District preconstruction engineer, at 406-454-5880. People with hearing impairments can call the TTY number, 406-444-7696 or 1-800-335-7592 or call the Montana Relay at 711. People can submit written comments to John Althof at the Montana Department of Transportation, PO Box 201001, Helena MT 59620-1001 or online at http://www.mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml. People are asked to indicate that written comments are for project UPN 7937000.