Cold Delays Stormwater Construction

Construction was originally scheduled to start up again April 4, but due to Flathead County road restrictions now may not start until April 18, or later, said Brett Walcheck, with 48 North Civil Engineering Services, which serves as the engineering firm on the project.
“We really are not going to know until the end of the week,” Walcheck said. “We’ve had a slow spring. Even though it’s hanging in the 40s, it’s not pulling out the frost fast enough.”
Road weight restrictions are currently in place on Grand due to frost in the ground. Certain county roads, including Grand, are weakened as the ground begins to thaw and restrictions on heavy vehicle use are put on them until they have thawed out. Those are be put in place and removed by the Flathead County commissioners. The lifting of those restrictions has been delayed two or three weeks this spring due to colder-than-usual temperatures, according to a press release from the Bigfork Stormwater Advisory Committee.
Some parts of construction — work to install the underground treatment devices — were able to take place in February because the ground was frozen, which means the same restrictions weren’t in place, Walcheck said. This second phase includes installing the new stormwater conveyance lines as well as the Filterra units and catch basins from Marina Cay to Electric Avenue, as well as finishing up installation work on one of the treatment devices.
The plan is for April 18 to mark when the contract time will begin again, though that may not mean the contractor will physically show up that day depending on weather and other factors, Walcheck said. This sets the anticipated construction schedule back at least two weeks