Map showing the North of Ekalaka – North project area along Montana Highway 7 in southeastern Montana. The project corridor is shown in two parts: a dashed red line labeled “Roadway Reconstruction” and a solid blue line labeled “Snow Ditch Work.” The roadway reconstruction segment follows Montana Highway 7 north of Ekalaka and extends north toward Webster Road, also labeled Secondary Highway 322. The snow ditch work segment continues farther north along Montana Highway 7 toward Willard. Willard is labeled near the north end of the project area, where Willard Road, also labeled Secondary Highway 494, intersects the highway. Directional arrows indicate “To Ekalaka” at the lower left, “To Webster” to the right along Webster Road, and “To Baker” near the top right. A legend on the left identifies the dashed red line as “Roadway Reconstruction” and the solid blue line as “Snow Ditch Work.” A compass rose indicating north appears in the bottom right corner, and the map is labeled “Not To Scale.”
  • May 01 2026

EKALAKA, Mont. – The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) invites the public to an in-person open house to learn more about the North of Ekalaka – North Rural Reconstruction project along Montana Highway 7 (MT 7) in Carter and Fallon counties.

The open house will be held on Thursday, May 21, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Carter County High School Cafeteria, 111 West Speelmon Street in Ekalaka.

This event will not include a formal presentation. Residents are encouraged to drop by anytime from 4 to 7 p.m. to view project displays, speak directly with the project team, and provide input on the proposed design.

The project includes the reconstruction of approximately 8.5 miles of MT 7, beginning about 7 miles north of Ekalaka and extending to roughly 2 miles north of the intersection with Secondary Highway 322 (Webster Road). Improvements are being designed to bring the roadway up to current standards and enhance safety. Planned work includes widening the roadway, adding shoulders with rumble strips, improving drainage, updating signage and pavement markings, flattening slopes, and widening ditches to improve snow storage.

In addition, MDT will address ongoing snowdrift concerns on a segment of MT 7 north of the main reconstruction area. On this portion of roadway, no reconstruction is planned, but ditches will be widened in targeted areas to reduce drifting, provide more snow storage, and improve winter travel reliability.

The purpose of the project is to enhance safety, reduce roadway departure crashes, address long-standing snow drifting issues, and reduce maintenance needs along this corridor.

Design is currently underway. Community input will help inform final design decisions.

For more information and project updates, visit mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/ekalaka. To subscribe to email updates, contact Ella Currier at ellac@strategies360.com. To receive text alerts, text EKALAKA to 406-226-1603. Texting alerts are not managed by MDT and may have different privacy and security policies.

MDT is a workforce of over 2,000 people across Montana, determined to do all we can so that you arrive at your destination safely. Our mission is to build, operate, and maintain a safe and resilient transportation system. For more information, visit mdt.mt.gov. 

Any person with a disability needing a reasonable accommodation to participate in this activity or an alternative accessible format of this notice should contact Ella Currier at 406-465-7198 or MDT’s ADA Coordinator Matt Maze at mmaze@mt.gov, 406-444-5416, or the Montana Relay Service at 711. Requests for an accommodation to participate should be made by May 14, 2026. MDT will attempt to honor requests made after this date.

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Tags: Open House, News Releases and Proposed