Cascade County and the City of Great Falls are partnering to improve 1.58 miles of Airport Bench Road with work beginning Sept. 29.

The project to remove the current surface and return it to gravel is expected to take a week and the road will be closed with drivers being detoured using Briggs Road.

In August, City and Cascade County commissioners approved an interlocal agreement to turn a portion of Airport Bench Road back to gravel.

City, county approve interlocal agreement for road project

City Commissioners approved the agreement during their Aug. 19 meeting and County Commissioners approved it Aug. 12.

The agencies are reworking 1.58 miles of Airport Bench Road by milling the existing material that will be recompacted, shaped and finished with county-produced road mix gravel, according to the county.

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The road is currently a mix of road types and “they are not maintainable for good driving conditions,” according to the county.

The current road consists of aging asphalt and road mix gravel, according to the city.

The section being rebuilt is from Ulm North Frontage Road north to Foster Lane.

The city owns the first 0.58 miles and the county owns the remaining mile.

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The interlocal agreement allows for collaboration under state law so both the city and county can share resources and coordinate responsibilities for the project, according to the city.

“Rather than addressing these segments separately—resulting in mismatched materials, staggered timing, and inefficiencies—staff are proposing a collaborative solution with Cascade County,” city staff wrote in their agenda report.

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The city will be responsible for asphalt removal, permitting, labor and necessary equipment.

The county will supply gravel materials, graders, rollers and labor for surface replacement along the entire road.