Montana Department of Transportation

US 2 - Swamp Creek

Overview
The US 2 - Swamp Creek project is a reconstruction of a twelve-mile portion of US Highway 2 (US 2) located in northwestern Montana within Lincoln County. The project will improve US 2 from a roadway that has no shoulders and 10-foot lanes to a two-lane roadway with 12-foot lanes and 4-foot shoulders.

This project includes reconstruction and realignment of the Swamp Creek channel. The original Swamp Creek has been impacted by the current location of US 2, irrigation practices, rural development and flood control measures. Incorporating this natural channel design aims to restore Swamp Creek's potential capacity to transport flows, sediment, and enhance fish habitat.

The challenges faced are existing deep deposits of extremely soft, saturated peat swamp materials that must be traversed. These deposits, which are in excess of 40 feet in depth, must be crossed by the project with nearly no intermediate transition zone between very steep rock/soil slopes and the swampy areas. These geological challenges require looking at other construction technologies such as: lightweight fill, lightweight equipment, very high strength geosynthetics, and/or staged construction.

Goal
To significantly improve safety and bring roadway to current standards

Grant Request
$52.2 million

Application
TIGER Discretionary Grant Application

Documents
Location Map
Letter of Support

Environmental
EA (1989)
Re-evaluated EA (1994)
Re-evaluation letter (2001)
Re-evaluation Addendum (2006)