MISSOULA — The Boy Scout Bridge in Seeley Lake was permanently closed in November of 2023 due to structural concerns.
The closure came after the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) determined the bridge could no longer safely or reliably carry traffic.
Drivers trying to access that end of the lake have had to take alternate routes for several months now.
Missoula County Commissioner Josh Slotnick weighed in on the bridge's future during a Tuesday open house to discuss the recent closure of the Maclay Bridge west of Missoula.
“For residents it’s a very big detour and it’s highly disruptive and we need to get that bridge opened up again,” Slotnick said.
“I don’t know if it’s possible to repair that bridge. Looking at it —and I am no bridge engineer, not even close, but I was with some engineers today," Slotnick continued. "It looks like a new bridge is the ticket not repairing it. And we’re talking about a very old wooden bridge with hunks of wood in the water that are rotting.”
When the closure was announced in November, Missoula County officials estimated the bridge's replacement would cost $5.7 million.
