The “big beautiful bill” that President Donald Trump signed July 4 dealt a blow to reconstruction of U.S. 93 near Ninepipe Reservoir, especially the stretch from Eagle Pass Trail to Brooks Lane, originally slated for 2027.

The Montana Department of Transportation said last week that about $63 million in grant funding, awarded to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in 2023, has been clawed back as part of the funding bill.

In April 2024, the Tribes were notified that they had received a Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant from the Biden administration in the amount of $74.9 million to design and reconstruct U.S. 93 in the Ninepipe area. According to a press release from the state transportation department, those funds would have paid for more than 80% of the project from Eagle Pa

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