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Traffic is flowing a little faster east of Thompson Falls as the first phase of a project to widen 2.7 miles of Highway 200 wrapped up this week. Brandon Coates with consulting firm RBCI said that LHC of Kalispell finished removing stumps, shrubs and rocks along the roadway.

LHC will continue to work on fencing in the area throughout the winter, as weather permits. In the spring, the second phase of the project will begin. The second phase will include widening the travel lanes to 12 feet, adding 4-foot-wide shoulders and adding guardrails along the roadway.

The project will also include extending wildlife fencing and installing wildlife deterrent mats along the roadway. A wildlife crossing underpass bridge and pipe culvert will be added in an effort to reduce the number of wildlife killed on the road.

As the fencing work continues through the winter, Coates said that no traffic impacts are anticipated, and that both lanes will remain open with no restrictions.

According to the Montana Department of Transportation, the section of Highway 200 included in the project was built in the 1930s and has a higher than average crash rate, partly because of wildlife in the area and rocks falling into the roadway.

More information on the project is available at www.mdt.mt.gov/projects. The public can also get construction updates by texting TRIVER to 22828, or email [email protected].