County looks at two-way Ferndale bridge

Lake County commissioners will have a public meeting Nov. 5 regarding the opening of south Ferndale bridge to two-way traffic. 

The meeting is at the Swan Lake Community Clubhouse at 10:30 a.m.  

Last spring, Lake County put the issue out for discussion and initiated a traffic study on the bridge. While the bridge, installed about five years ago, was designed by the Montana Department of Transportation as a two-lane bridge, nearby residents persuaded the Lake County commission to leave it as one lane. Proponents of the single-lane bridge claimed one lane would keep driving speeds down. “I don’t think the speed study verifies that,” Lake County commission chairman Gale Decker said.

County commissioners will also be meeting soon with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to discuss options for parking at the Rainbow Drive fishing access in Ferndale.

“We’re still working on it,” Decker said. “We know we need something better put in place by next spring.”