City Commissioners unanimously approved a right-of-way agreement with the Montana Department of Transportation during their Oct. 20 meeting for the Gore Hill interchange project.
Commissioners approved a resolution that will dedicate about 435 square feet of the southwest corner of a city-owned parcel as public right-of-way, according to the city staff report.
The parcel is currently used for the water tower.
MDT hosting informational meeting on July 23 on planned Gore Hill improvements
MDT and the city are planning to use federal transportation funds for the Gore Hill interchange reconstruction, which will:
- convert the stop-sign-controlled intersection into two single-lane roundabouts at the on- and off-ramp intersections on 31st Street Southwest and Airport Drive
- add a southbound auxiliary lane between the Gore Hill and 10th Avenue South interchanges
- replace the overpass bridge with a new, wider structure built to the east of the current overpass that will include a southbound left turn lane, shoulders and a sidewalk
- add a sidewalk on the west side of 31st Street Southwest and Airport Drive, providing pedestrian access over the bridge and between the roundabouts
- relocate Tri Hill Frontage Road to the south
The new bridge design and roundabouts will accommodate oversized trucks through the intersections, according to MDT.
MDT progressing on Gore Hill interchange project with $19 million federal grant
The Federal Highway Administration requires improvements funded with federal transportation dollars to be located within public rights-of-way and during project design, it was determined that about 435 square feet of city-owned property needed to be dedicated as public right-of-way to accommodate the proposed improvements, according to the city staff report.
The project includes temporary construction activity on the same parcel, separate from the dedicated portion, according to the city staff report.
After the property is dedicated, MDT will acquire the right-of-way and a construction permit for a total of $2,350, which will go to the city’s water fund.
County upholds permit decision for Gore Hill sporting facility [2025]
MDT hosted an informational session over the summer on the project and is finalizing interchange design plans with the goal of reducing traffic delays, improving traffic flow and enhancing safety features due to the increasing traffic volumes in the area.
In 2015, MDT developed the I-15 Gore Hill to Emerson Junction Corridor Planning Study in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration and in coordination with the Great Falls Metropolitan Planning Organization.
The purpose of the study was to determine potential improvement options to address safety and operational concerns within the interstate system through Great Falls.
Roundabout planned for Watson Coulee Road reconstruction; project open house is Oct. 29 [2025]
The report identified recommendations to address the transportation needs in the area through the planning horizon of 2035.
Among the recommended improvement options were the addition of a southbound auxiliary lane between the Gore Hill and 10th Avenue South Interchanges and intersection improvements at the Gore Hill Interchange.
The Great Falls Long Range Transportation Plan 2018 Update also included recommendations to make improvements to the Gore Hill Interchange as outlined in the Corridor Planning Study. Various public involvement strategies were used to engage key stakeholders and the public throughout these past planning efforts.
Jacquelyn Smith of RPA and others presented at the Nov. 25, 2025 airport board meeting and said the project received a $19 million Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2024, which is why the project has picked up speed.
The funds must be obligated by September 2028 and spent by September 2033.
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Smith said during the airport board meetings that they’re continuing to develop final plans, including road design, bridge plans, and details for utilities, electrical, signage and striping.
Roundabouts; auxiliary lane; rerouting frontage road considered for Gore Hill [2019]
During a May 2026 airport board meeting, John Faulkner, airport director, said he was meeting with MDT on the project in June regarding rights-of-way.
In February 2026, Smith said that right-of-way plans had been finalized and MDT received authorization to start those acquisitions, which triggered the need for an appraiser.
Based on feedback from the airport during a November meeting, Smith said they hired someone with experience with the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Aviation Administration.
She said that they’d just started developing traffic control plans for the construction and asked the group if there were events or details they needed to be aware of in their planning.
Col. Todd Mortag of the 120th Airlift Wing said the wing was hosting the Roar Over the Rockies airshow in August 2027 featuring the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels.
The MDT/RPA team said construction would likely begin in the fall of 2027 and wrap up in 2029, so it would hopefully not conflict with the airshow.
Gore Hill interchange eyed for update, public meeting April 25 [2019]
Jimmy Combs, MDT’s Great Falls projects development engineer, said that access will be retained throughout construction.
“That’s a must,” he said, but it will be affected by the construction and there may be reduced lanes.
He asked if there were other days, hours or events that are less critical for operations that would be helpful in their planning.
Faulkner, airport director, said it’s not always predictable, but the bulk of traffic is between 4:30-6 a.m. for the morning flights, then a few flights throughout the day. He said planes are getting bigger, which could increase bursts of traffic.
Area transportation plan getting minor update [2018]
He said his bigger concern was that with more development around the airport, they’d only get about 20 years of capacity out of the MDT design before it was overcrowded.
Smith said they looked at the traffic numbers and design multiple times, multiple ways.
“We are feeling confident” in their traffic projections and the buffer included in the plan, she said.
Combs said that MDT did an original traffic study for the project and two supplements, including one at the request of the airport to account for projections and growth related to the proposed development around the airport. They used 2024 traffic data, he said.
Dwight Holman, owner of Holman Aviation, said that traffic backs up when the Guard and Avmax release in the afternoons.
City approves new long-range transportation plan [2024]
Smith said they expect appraisals to be completed this summer with acquisitions through the fall. They’ll also be doing environmental permits and utility work through the fall.
She said the project is scheduled to go to bid in 2027 and construction to start at the end of that year.
“It’s a complex area,” she said.
*MDT photo
