Montana
Report says growing need for bridge improvements in Montana
LINCOLN — On Dalton Mountain Road, just outside Lincoln, a brand-new bridge opened to traffic just last month. The project to replace a decades-old timber bridge there was a big improvement – but according to a new report, it’s only a small part of a significant need for infrastructure upgrades across the state.
On Wednesday, at the Montana State Capitol, the Montana Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers unveiled a “report card” on infrastructure in the state, grading on 14 categories ranging from roads and railways to dams, broadband and even public parks. Their report gave Montana’s bridges a “C-,” defined as “mediocre” and “requiring attention” – and down from a “C” in the last report card in 2018.
“I think we’ve all seen across Montana in this past year, we’ve had a lot of closures in areas that we haven’t seen previously – Missoula, Bigfork, Twin Bridges, several areas with those aging bridges have caused major issues and detours,” said Lexi Leffler, a civil engineer who chaired the committee that worked on the report card.
Jonathon Ambarian
According to the report, of more than 5,200 bridges across Montana, about 600 are either closed or have weight restrictions because of their condition – and that number has been increasing 10% to 20% year to year. For bridges owned by the state, only about 2% have closures or weight limits, but for those owned by counties, it’s closer to 20%.
The old Dalton Mountain Road Bridge, built in 1956, was one of those county-owned bridges. In 2017, several foundation piles on the bridge failed.
“When the supports went, it got old real quick,” said Bob O’Leary, who’s lived in the area for 32 years. He crosses the bridge to Lincoln most mornings to pick up his mail.
Emergency repairs on the old bridge were enough to keep it open – but only with one lane, and only for vehicles weighing up to eight tons. O’Leary says residents were concerned fire trucks and ambulances might not be able to cross.
Lewis and Clark County asked for help replacing the bridge, and the state eventually contributed money to the project through two grant programs. Leaders awarded a $3.9 million contract to Sletten Construction, and in July, the road closed down as crews began work on a new “pony truss” bridge over the Blackfoot River.
Jonathon Ambarian
During construction, drivers needed to take an 11-mile detour using Herrin Lake Road – and O’Leary got a very personal reminder of how important this connection is.
“It wasn’t an issue for me until August, when I had the heart attack and it took the ambulance 20 minutes to get over to the house instead of five minutes,” he said.
Leffler said, in a state as rural and spread-out as Montana, it’s not unusual for one bridge closure to have that kind of effect.
“There’s really a lot of ripple effects of that, even just down to small communities not being able to get their regular shipments to the grocery store,” she said.
The federal government identifies just over 350 bridges statewide as being in “poor” condition. The ACSE report card says about 900 Montana bridges require immediate repairs – around 15% of all the bridges in the state. It says federal and state governments have made investments – like 2023’s SAFER Act – but that the anticipated $535 million in funding over the next ten years would fall well short of the $4.4 billion in need.
“We hope this is a tool for citizens to learn more about infrastructure in our state, and we also hope that it’s a springboard for more discussions,” Leffler said.
Oregon women’s basketball moved to 11-1 following a 69-44 win over Montana State Sunday at Matthew Knight Arena.
Four of Oregon’s starters scored in double figures, led by guard Sofia Bell’s 15 points.
Mia Jacobs added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Katie Fiso and Ari Long each scored 10 points. Fiso added five assists.
Oregon (11-1) struggled shooting, hitting 19 of 58 field goal attempts (32.8%), including 9 of 31 from three-point range (29%). However, those numbers were mainly dragged down in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand.
Oregon, which led 37-14 at halftime, shot just 22.2% from the field in the final quarter and missed all seven of its three-point attempts. MSU won the quarter 16-11.
Bell went 4 of 8 from long distance, Jacobs went 3 of 8 and Long made both of her three-point attempts. The rest of the team went 0-for-13.
Montana State (6-3) received 14 points and four rebounds from Jamison Philip. The Bobcats shot 1 of 19 from three-point range and committed 23 turnovers that the Ducks converted into 25 points.
Next up: The Ducks host Portland (7-4) at 11 a.m. on Thursday. The Pilots defeated Kent State 88-78 on Sunday.
MISSOULA, Mont. — The No. 3-seeded Montana Grizzlies proved too much to handle on Saturday afternoon, overwhelming the No. 11-seeded South Dakota Coyotes 52-22 in the FCS playoff quarterfinals at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
The Griz used the home crowd to their advantage in an all-around dominant performance in all three phases of the game in front of a home crowd of 22,750 fans. The win sets up an all-Montana semifinal in the FCS playoffs as the Griz will go to face No. 2 Montana State on Dec. 20 for a trip to the national championship.
Montana’s Keali’i Ah Yat had 305 yards and three passing scores, as Michael Wortham had 11 catches for 201 yards and two receiving touchdowns, as well as 43 rushing yards and a score.
All told, the Coyotes had 63 plays on offense for 351 total yards, but the 10 offensive penalties seemed to be a key difference in finding any consistency.
Montana State advances with decisive victory
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Montana State ran for 227 yards as the Bobcats dominated the third-ranked rush defense in the country en route to beating Stephen F. Austin 44-28 on Friday to advance to the FCS playoff semifinals.
Adam Jones finished with 117 yards and Julius Davis had 96 on the ground for Montana State, which jumped out to a 24-0 lead. Justin Lamson had 246 passing yards for the Bobcats.
Villanova holds down Tarleton State to advance
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Villanova overcame a 14-0 deficit as the No. 12 Wildcats beat fourth-seeded Tarleton State 26-21 on Saturday.
It is the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2010 that ‘Nova advanced to the semifinals. The Wildcats held Tarleton State to 56 yards rushing and 266 total yards while racking up 426 overall on their own.
Ja’briel Mace had a 47-yard run to trim Tarleton State’s lead to 21-19 in the third quarter and Braden Reed hauled in an 11-yard TD pass in the fourth to complete the comeback.
Dawson runs Illinois State past UC Davis
DAVIS, Calif. — Victor Dawson carried 29 times for 148 yards and Tommy Rittenhouse threw a 93-yard TD pass as Illinois State beat UC-Davis 42-31 on Saturday, one week after the Redbirds upset North Dakota State in Fargo.
Rittenhouse finished 15 of 20 for 266 yards and three touchdowns and one interception. Daniel Sobkowicz had six receptions for 150 yards and two scores.
Davis quarterback Caden Pinnick was 24 of 41 for 402 yards with three touchdowns and a pick.
Trey Houchin of the Mitchell Republic contributed to this report.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 13, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 13 drawing
01-28-31-57-58, Powerball: 16, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 13 drawing
12-18-19-24-35, Lucky Ball: 17
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from Dec. 13 drawing
20-26-27-32-46, Star Ball: 08, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Dec. 13 drawing
04-06-11-31, Bonus: 09
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from Dec. 13 drawing
01-16-18-31-37
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.
Where can you buy lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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