Zinke celebrates securing federal infrastructure funding

Congressman Ryan Zinke symbolically delivered checks for infrastructure projects in Flathead, Sanders and Lincoln counties on Monday, his first public appearance in Montana since announcing his upcoming retirement.  

Zinke and fellow Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy secured federal funding for bridge and road projects in western Montana in a $102.9 billion spending bill signed by President Donald Trump on Feb. 3. Zinke met with county commissioners in Kalispell, Noxon and Libby to deliver a posterboard version of the checks.   

The tour began at 8 a.m. at the Flathead County Road and Bridges Department, where Flathead County commissioners, sans Commissioner Pamela Holmquist, received a symbolic $1 million check for the North Fork Road Guardrail Project. The funding will go toward replacing 3.7 miles of guardrail on North Fork Road, a major artery that provides access to Glacier National Park and Flathead National Forest.  

“The county commissioners are on the frontline,” Zinke said to the small gathering of county officials and media. “If it’s the county commissioners’ priority, it’s my priority.” 

The congressman and two members from his staff then made a two-and-a-half-hour trip to Sanders County, where a dozen Noxon residents, county officials and state Rep. Paul Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, gathered at the end of Noxon Bridge.  

Sanders County Commissioner Tony Cox noted this is the third time Zinke has visited the ailing 102-year-old structure.  

“I can’t say enough good things about Congressman Zinke and his staff,” Cox said. “They have been the most engaged of any of our representatives.” 

Officials in 2024 determined that the Noxon Bridge needed to be replaced after closing it for a week due to severe structural issues and reopening it with temporary fixes. Noxon resident Megan Abel told the Inter Lake she had to drive an extra 40 minutes to get her mail when the bridge was closed.  

“It’s not that we haven’t needed that for the past 15 years,” said Bob Abel, her husband. “And it’s nice that they’re finally, after the closure, recognizing the problem.” 

Zinke secured $10 million in congressional funding for the bridge, along with $965,000 for the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office and $1.15 million to repave Marten Creek Road in Trout Creek. Sanders County officials are pursuing additional funding avenues for the estimated $35 million bridge replacement project, including a second congressional funding request in 2027 and an application for $25 million through the competitive $1.5 billion Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development Program.  

Awards for BUILD grants should be announced by the end of June, Cox said. While engineers advised county commissioners not to get their hopes up, they remain optimistic “because we need a bridge.”

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Hannah Shields can be reached at 406-758-4439 or [email protected].  

    U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, stands with Sanders County Commissioners Tony Cox, John Holland and Dan Rowan during an event at the Noxon Bridge on Monday, March 9, 2026. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
 Tracy Scott   

    Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke, center, prepares to sign a faux $1 million check for new guardrails on the North Fork Road Monday morning at the county road department facility. From left are county public works director Dave Prunty, county roads employee Jay Sorenson, county commissioner Brad Abell and county road employee Keith Hall. (Chris Peterson/Hungry Horse News)