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While Beartooth Highway construction on the Montana side is moving swiftly, the pass won’t be fully open until the end of July at the earliest, according to a Montana Department of …
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While Beartooth Highway construction on the Montana side is moving swiftly, the pass won’t be fully open until the end of July at the earliest, according to a Montana Department of Transportation official.
The closure of U.S. Highway 212 was a result of damage caused to the popular tourist route through the Beartooth Mountain Range from the Chief Joseph Highway to Red Lodge, which was devastated by the flood when Rock Creek left its banks after three days of heavy rain combined with quickly melting snowpack. Riverside Construction has the contract for the work and they have told the department they will be done soon.
“Riverside Construction is working as quickly as possible and anticipates having work completed by the end of July,” said Lori Ryan, public information officer for the department.
The news is disheartening to participants in the Beartooth Rally and Iron Horse Rodeo, Montana’s largest motorcycle rally. The event is scheduled July 11 through July 17, culminating with the rodeo. Saturday’s run is scheduled to go up Chief Joseph Highway and end at Top of the World where there will be food and drinks, organizers of the rally posted on their website.
“Places like Top of the World and Cooke City have been affected tremendously from the Beartooth Pass being closed, and we plan on showing our support to them on our Saturday Poker Run,” the group posted.
After repairing damage caused by the recent record-breaking flood event, the highway was partially reopened June 28. The reopened section includes 23 miles of the Beartooth Highway beginning at the U.S. Highway 212/Wyo. Highway 296 junction to the Beartooth Ski Hill parking lot. At that point, motorists will need to turn around in the parking lot due to flood damage on the Montana side of the pass.
The towns of Cooke City, Montana, and Silver Gate, Montana, remain open for visitor travel. There will be nightly closings of the highway for repairs from 7 p.m to 7 a.m on weekdays. Closures might be in effect through mid-October, according to Montana DOT.
