Montana News Roundup: Solution Found for Dangerous Blackfoot Bridge

Engineers believe they've finally come up with a plan to remove the bridge piers that have presented a hazard for one of Montana's most popular "float" rivers for the past several years.

When the Milltown Dam east of Missoula was removed, it opened the Blackfoot River for floating all the way through the confluence with the Clark Fork.

     -But for more than a decade, the piers of the I-90 bridge and the adjacent railroad bridge have presented a hazard, especially during high water.

MDT rebuilt the freeway bridges in 2019, but didn't have the money to also remove the piers, or cover the additional maintenance to the railroad bridge just downstream.

Now, MDT and BNSF say they've reached an agreement on a plan to remove the freeway bridge piers and strengthen the riverbank to protect the rail crossing. Now, it will be a case of finding money for the project.

RELATED: New Inflation Stations Coming to Montana River Spots

Fight Will Continue Over Montana Transgender Medical Law

The State Attorney General's Office is expected to appeal a Missoula District Court ruling this week that blocks a law conservative lawmakers approved two ago, which sought to ban medical procedures for transgender minors.

Judge Jason Marks found Senate Bill 99 is a violation of the Montana Constitution's protections for free speech, right to privacy, and "equal protection."

     -He said the law would block "transgender expression", concluding the "state's interest" is a "political and ideological one."

Drug Smuggling Will Cost Coram Man Millions

A 51-year old Coram man who admitted to dealing meth will pay a big price, as he's ordered to federal prison for 10-years, and paying a $10 million fine.

Federal prosecutors say Blaine Justin Olds and his co-defendant were caught in an undercover operation last fall moving "large amounts of methamphetamine" from their home in Coram over to the Blackfeet Reservation.

Two Terrible Montana Accidents

Montana Highway Patrol investigators are checking out a fatal accident on I-15 north of Dillon last week, but believe speed was likely the reason for the crash.

Troopers say a 49-year-old Dillon man was killed when his Ford pickup went off the highway, hitting a culvert embankment and then going airborne, where it slammed into a bridge pillar at Divide Creek.

And investigators are now saying speed and alcohol were factors in that crash in Fergus County, which killed a 67-year-old woman from Malta.

     -Troopers say the victim lost control of her Chrysler 300 on Highway 19 near Grass Range, where it hit a guardrail, which then pierced the driver's door.

Montana Bears Behaving Badly

Bears are proving to be VERY active in Montana this spring. Word comes that the BLM is shutting down the Carbella Recreation Site in Park County because of increased bear activity. That includes the campground and boat launch area.

Looking for the Best Montana Teacher

     👩🏼‍🏫- School may be wrapping up, but for Montana educators, it's award season, as Jason Laird explains.

Montana Thursday Throwback

     -Montana launched its "Vision Zero" safety campaign in the Spring of 2014, with additional emphasis on May 15, 2015.

That year, there were 192 fatal accidents. Although the number has fluctuated since, there were 203 fatalities last year. MDT reports that there have been 53 fatal accidents already this year.