City working on Red Bridge approach to make it safer

The city side of the old Red Bridge should be more pedestrian-friendly soon. Contractor J.D. Thinning has been working on the approach to the bridge for the past few weeks, improving access to the Kreck Trail along the Flathead River at the bridge.

Thinning has shaved down the bank and is landscaping the slope into a park-like setting. The old approach was simply a dead end street and allowed vandals to spray-paint the bridge.

The new approach is nicely sloped and will have a kiosk explaining the bridge, Public Works Director Grady Jenkins said.

Once complete, the area will have wooden railings and the concrete barriers will be removed.

Thinning’s contract for the work was just under $20,000.

“We wanted to clean it up and a bit and make it safer,” Jenkins said.

The work could be done in a week or two. Thinning was waiting for it to stop raining so they could put down a native grass that lays down flat and doesn’t require much mowing, Jenkins said.