SANDERSON STEWART
BIG SKY – In 2017, the community of Big Sky was awarded a TIGER grant from the Federal Highway Administration in the amount of $10.2 million dollars for major infrastructure improvements along the Lone Mountain Trail/MT Highway 64 corridor.
Once the agreement was signed in June 2019 between Gallatin County and FHWA, Sanderson Stewart was awarded the contract to oversee design and construction for the improvements in September 2019. In partnership with Stahly Engineering, the team has worked diligently with Gallatin County, the Montana Department of Transportation and FHWA to work through the design, acquisition of land (right-of-way) for the expanded roadway, and the required permitting for the project.
The right-of-way acquisition process took longer than anticipated but was completed the first week in May and the team then proceeded directly into bidding the project. Bids were opened on Tuesday, May 25. Only one bid was received, and it was significantly higher than our estimated construction cost and the budget available for the project.
At this time, Gallatin County and FHWA have agreed to re-bid the project this fall and begin construction in the spring of 2022. If bids still come in over budget, some components of the project may need to be eliminated. Therefore, we would like your input on which components of the project are the highest priority for the community. A survey is available until July 15, 2021.
