Good news if you often make the trip to West Yellowstone. The Highway 191 Restoration Projected is officially completed. Now you'll have an uninterrupted drive between Big Sky and West Yellowstone.

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) officially completed earlier this week 23 miles of roadway improvements on Highway 191 from Tepee Creek Trailhead to Rainbow Point Road. Due to harsh winters, frequent undergound geologic activity, and just wear-and-tear, the road definitely needed some love.

MDT would like to thank the public for their patience during restoration work on this treasured stretch of roadway,” William Fogarty, Butte District Administrator for the Montana Department of Transportation, acknowledged. “Together, MDT and drivers were able to navigate around each other safely, which allowed us to make numerous improvements to Highway 191.”

Improvements included a northbound left-turn lane at Rainbow Point Road, repaired bridge crossings over Specimen Creek and the Gallatin River, a new guardrail, added rumble strips, and fully resurfaced the roadway.

While the project is complete, you may find workers applying final striping by painting the lines of the roadway. Current lines on the road are only temporary. They will also do all final seeding, planting a mix of native plant seeds to restore the excavated areas.

An environmentally-conscious method of reusing existing roadway pavement materials, called ‘hot-in-place recycling’, was used by crews during road resurfacing efforts. This method reduced the amount of mining needed and required fewer asphalt trucks. It is not only cost-effective and environmentally-friendly; it prolongs the life of the road.

More From KISS FM