BIGFORK — The Bridge Street Bridge in Bigfork was closed earlier this year due to a failed inspection and cut off one of two ways into downtown Bigfork.
The closure has caused safety concerns as well as limited access to local businesses. But the town is making the best of things while the bridge remains closed.
The Bridge Street Bridge in Bigfork closed in January causing accessibility issues for the town but the community has come together to create a unique solution.
Two shuttles are now running in Bigfork to take people around town and to Woods Bay.
“Well with the bridge closure cut off a lot of connectivity for downtown Bigfork. But then we also have never had the connectivity we hoped for to Woods Bay. And it really is wonderful for people that are visiting that live here. Because we don't have trails. We don't have a way to safely walk between the two communities. And this is kind of filling that gap as well as getting people back and forth across the bridge,” said Bigfork Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rebekah King.
The shuttle was started in May by the Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce and is funded through restaurants and lodging partners adding a 1% to 2% increase on customer bills to bring in money for Fund the Fork.
“It started really with a conversation with some business owners that were looking at starting their own shuttle system that was reactionary to the bridge closure. There are two or three businesses looking at this,” King told MTN. “So, the Chamber of Commerce thought it was a great opportunity to step in and help out and kind of create one for the whole community.”
The idea of a shuttle was sparked by the bridge closure, but now it has become a fun way for people to get around town.
‘It brings people together and like a sense of community and brings them to small businesses so they can support the businesses that they know and love. And not be stuck behind a broken bridge,” said Ryd Bigfork manager Jacob Jensen.
The Ryd Shuttle is free for people traveling to or from participating businesses bringing in money for Fund the Fork and only costs $5 for a ride anywhere in the Bigfork area not involved in the program.
“Driving one of these vehicles is a lot of fun. You get to meet new types of people every single day and you get to help bring people where they want to go and it's always a good mood that people are wanting to go out to eat get coffee, go down to Woods Bay and see places that they haven't been able to go. It creates a lot more movability for locals and people visiting,” said Jensen.
This was supposed to be a temporary shuttle while the bridge is closed but it has helped clear up some of the congestion that downtown Bigfork sees, and the Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce hopes to keep it around even after the bridge reopens.
“The Ryd shuttle is really just supposed to be something for the whole community. So, wherever it's needed, it's there,” King told MTN.
