Road will be open to pedestrians, cyclists on weekends

The access road from Black Sandy Campground to Hauser Dam will be closed to all motorized vehicles for a four-month period starting June 30 as PPL Montana begins a major maintenance project at the dam. Pedestrian and bicycle access will be permitted on weekends during the project.

"We understand that this will be an inconvenience for people who enjoy fishing below Hauser Dam, but we want everyone to be safe as heavy vehicles begin traveling the narrow dirt road down to the dam,” said Ed Tinsley, vice chairman of the Lewis and Clark County Board of Commissioners.

Working with PPL Montana, the county will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to use Hauser Dam Road from Black Sandy State Park on weekends during the project, which is expected to last until early November, Tinsley said. Pedestrian access across the dam will be permitted on weekends.

PPL Montana will install a temporary dock at the Hauser Dam portage site on the north side of the dam to provide boat access during construction.

A sign with information about the closure will be installed at Black Sandy State Park near Hauser Dam, about 15 miles north of Helena off Interstate 15.

Like the other PPL Montana hydroelectric dams on the Madison and Missouri rivers, Hauser is a very popular location for fishing, hiking and other outdoor activities.

“We have an obligation to help ensure public safety and be responsive when these kinds of concerns are raised,” said David Hoffman, director of external affairs for PPL Montana. “We will be working with Lewis and Clark County and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks throughout the project to make sure the people who visit Hauser Dam are well-informed for their safety.”

Hoffman said the work at Hauser will involve making repairs to a concrete pier and areas adjacent to the south side of the dam. The work is part of PPL Montana’s comprehensive program to make sure all of its dams — valuable resources for clean power generation — stay in good working order and remain safe.

PPL Montana provides safe, reliable energy from coal-fired power plants at Colstrip and Billings, as well as 11 hydroelectric plants along West Rosebud Creek and the Missouri, Madison, Clark Fork and Flathead rivers. It has a combined generating capacity of more than 1,200 megawatts and has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena. PPL Montana and its 500 employees are dedicated to Montana and its communities, supporting educational, environmental and economic development programs across the state. PPL EnergyPlus operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power for PPL Montana in wholesale and retail energy markets throughout the western United States. PPL Montana and PPL EnergyPlus are subsidiaries of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL).