Community Forums

Pigman1 · 05-13-2019, 07:57 PM

OK folks, it's time. We leave Saturday for Alaska (9th trip) and if anyone has a report on US-2 condition just east of Shelby, Montana, I'd appreciate your comments. Last year going north to AK US-2 was so bad in that area that we came back to the US through Emerson, Manitoba (North Dakota Minnesota border) to avoid it on the way down. I'd like to run to Shelby, but if that section is really bad I'll do something else. The Montana DOT web sites don't look like they've been changed in MANY MONTHS and I'm looking for current information. Thanks.

drdit92 · 05-13-2019, 08:17 PM

I'm headed to Alaska in just over 2 weeks and I'm taking US2 from Michigan to North Dakota, but I decided to drop down to I9O east of Williston, ND because I heard it gets bad with all the oil trucks. I'm headed to Spokane first to visit my sister.

Pigman1 · 05-13-2019, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drdit92

I'm headed to Alaska in just over 2 weeks and I'm taking US2 from Michigan to North Dakota, but I decided to drop down to I9O east of Williston, ND because I heard it gets bad with all the oil trucks. I'm headed to Spokane first to visit my sister.

Although it gets busy through Williston, we've never had any major problems. Just a lot of trucks, traffic and people, but the road is all 4 lane, in good shape, and the turn in the center of town is well marked. Just don't try to get into the local Walmart. No RV parking and the parking lot is ALWAYS full.

Pigman1 · 05-18-2019, 04:36 PM

Aw, come on folks.... No body's traveled US-2 east of Shelby, MT for a road report???

Please?

Damion · 05-18-2019, 06:37 PM

I will check it about June 8th for you!!!
Heading to Vancouver and then North to Alaska!

twogypsies · 05-18-2019, 10:42 PM

I agree.... Williston is no big deal.

As far as Shelby.... perhaps RVers aren't up there yet to critique the road. It's still winter up there.

Pigman1 · 05-19-2019, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twogypsies

I agree.... Williston is no big deal.

As far as Shelby.... perhaps RVers aren't up there yet to critique the road. It's still winter up there.

Yeah, just talked to some friends in Duluth and it's been snowing there since 6AM. THe salmon are starting to run in Alaska so, gotta-go... gotta...GO!!

We'll be through Shelby on Thursday or Friday.

igave · 05-20-2019, 09:32 AM

That road gets a lot of traffic, both locally and Canadian rv’s, 18 wheelers, and passenger vehicles all year round. Nothing indicating problems has been in the local news. It can storm here at pretty much most times of the year but shouldn’t be a huge problem after Memorial Day.

Ayvee · 05-20-2019, 04:31 PM

We went through in October and there was close to 10 miles of roadworks underway on the eastern side, about 8 miles (give or take, October was a few sleeps and many miles ago) out of town. They appeared to be realigning some sections of the road and completely resurfacing the rest. It was a heck of a mess to crawl through at that time but the roading will be finished by now. I hope. We’re going through again next month.

Pigman1 · 05-28-2019, 12:35 PM

OK folks, we're in Alaska and follows the best road report I can give on US-2:

We hit US-2 in Montana westbound on 5/23. At the border with North Dakota it was 2 lane with no construction. About 10 miles east of Culbertson, MT, they appear to be starting to widen the road to 4 lanes. A lot of construction equipment and one way traffic and about the slowest pilot car operation AND manual traffic lights I've ever seen to get you through the construction. Three lights and it took about 10 minutes waiting at each light for a very short construction stretch. In those areas where the road was NOT under construction, it seems to be deteriorating badly. You get a good bouncing at each road joint and longitudinal joints are breaking up. We spent the night at the rest area in Culbertson and saw very little truck and car traffic on US-2 in either direction.

Based on what we saw and the latest very old information from MDOT on the construction east of Shelby, MT, We elected to leave US-2 and head north into Canada, crossing just north of Culbertson. The road to the border was very much better than US-2, and Saskatchewan roads to Regina and beyond were excellent, albeit 2 lane. I'd guess Montana is just starting the process of making US-2 into 4 lanes, but they don't appear to be keeping up the old sections until the new is done. We've traveled this road for 9 trips to Alaska and are severely disappointed in the road's current condition, and in their reconstruction process. We dealt with similar issues in North Dakota when they widened US-2, and although the construction sections were slowing you down, they were nowhere as disruptive as the Montana process we saw last year and this. We will probably not travel US-2 in Montana for the next 3-4 years unless Montana changes their ways and we get much better travel reports.