Tester Secures $25 Million for Infrastructure Development in Kalispell

Funding comes from the Senator’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)

U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) today secured $25 million for the City of Kalispell to upgrade and expand transportation infrastructure in order to support economic growth and increase public safety. This funding will come from the Rural Surface Transportation Grant program, which was created as part of the Senator’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Tester negotiated the IIJA and helped pass it into law last year, and he was the only member of Montana’s Congressional delegation to support it.

“A strong economy starts with safe and reliable infrastructure.” Tester said. “Top-notch roads, bridges, and highways improve connectivity and prevent the supply chain disruptions that put a real hurt on working families and small business owners. I am proud to have secured this funding for the City of Kalispell to expand critical transportation infrastructure, boost the local economy, and create good-paying Montana jobs – all while keeping folks in the community safe.”

After meeting with Kalispell and Flathead County leaders in May, Tester sent a letter to the Department of Transportation in support of the city’s application for Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program funding. The DOT Rural program will be funded at $2 billion dollars over five years to support projects that increase connectivity, improve transportation safety and reliability, generate regional economic growth, and improve quality of life.

In his letter, Tester specifically supported the project’s plans to:

1. Widen the West Reserve Road from three to five lanes
2. Widen Stillwater Bridge to be consistent with the roadway
3. Add landscape boulevards with a shared use path on the north and sidewalks on the south for separated pedestrian and bicycle mobility safety
4. Make intersection improvements to Hutton Ranch Road and Whitefish Stage Road, including using concrete instead of asphalt to improve longevity of the project
5. Make construction improvements to Whitefish Stage Road north and south of the intersection to bring to urban standards.

Tester worked across the aisle for months to negotiate the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with a group of five Republicans, four Democrats, and the White House. Tester’s law is projected to create more than 800,000 American jobs and lower costs for businesses by making targeted investments that will strengthen our nation without raising taxes on working families.

Tester secured significant wins for Montana in the legislation, including $2.82 billion for Montana’s roads, highways and bridges; $2.5 billion to complete all authorized Indian water rights settlements; $1 billion to complete all authorized rural water projects through the Bureau of Reclamation; $65 billion to deploy broadband to areas across the country that lack internet access and additionally make online connectivity affordable; and $3.37 billion to reduce wildfire risk nationwide, among others. Tester also worked to ensure that all iron, steel, and construction materials used for these projects must be made in America. A full list of Montana provisions in Tester’s bipartisan infrastructure law can be found HERE.