Milk River North Project Completed In Time for Summer

As of June 13, there is officially a new route to drive into Nashua and into Fort Peck. After many months, meetings and delays, the Milk River North Project, also known as the Nashua railroad overpass, is now open to traffic, just in time for the summer travel season.

To signify this new addition, the Montana Department of Transportation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the community and all the organizations who had a key role in the various stages of the project. In attendance were community members, Glendive District Administrator Shane Mintz, Chris Richter, from the Valley County Sheriff's Office, as well as emergency medical services personnel. Before the ribbon-cutting event officially started, everyone was in awe of the finished product with the general consensus being how much good the overpass will bring to travelers and emergency personnel.

"The motivation for this project is for emergency situations and the secondary motivation is the ease of travel," stated Mintz. The new overpass provides an alternative to the cross bridge, which is located in town, as well as provides an alternative route for emergency medical services to the hospital in Glasgow. The new overpass also provides a quicker route for local law enforcement and fire to get in and out of their destination.

"This project has been a long time coming. But the length of time for this type of project to have been completed isn't entirely uncommon," stated Mintz during the ceremony. According to Mintz, development for the project started in 2012, after concerns were brought up from local citizens regarding the impacts trains have on getting into and out of the town of Nashua. "People were getting frustrated with having to wait for the train traffic, so brainstorming was started. At that time the Fort Peck Northeast Project hadn't started yet, so that project helped in this process. We were able to combine the two" stated Mintz.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Mintz thanked all of those involved in the process, including past and present Valley County Commissioners, law enforcement, emergency medical services, Nashua's past and present city council and past and present Nashua mayors, among others. "I am very proud of this project. Every mayor of Nashua has been involved in some way during this process," stated Mintz.

Another instrumental figure in the project is former mayor Pat (Hallett) Marple, who had the honor of cutting the ribbon, signifying the official opening of the overpass. "What a day it is. We have been waiting, waiting, and waiting and now it's here. I have spent my whole life in Nashua, and half of my life waiting for the trains," stated Marple at the ceremony. After the ribbon was cut, Marple as passenger and Nashua's current mayor Mike "Fuzz" Stingley as driver, drove the inaugural vehicle, the city's fire truck, across the bridge.

The bridge still needs to be chip sealed, which is expected to be started later this summer.