Old Milk River Bridge at Trafton Park may see new life on trails

Fallon Handley was celebrating her wedding anniversary in Fort Benton when she got the idea.

"I fell in love with their repurposed pedestrian bridge, and I wanted to help create something like that in our community," she said.

"I've always liked the bridge at Trafton since I moved back and started using the (MaltaTrails) trails," she said. The bridge, which serves as the trailhead for the Trafton Trail, has long been impassable. The decking was removed years ago and only the impressive steel structure remains. So, Handley got down to business.

"The first step is to get the ownership of the bridge transferred from county to city," she said. "Once the transfer is complete, I plan to work on behalf of Malta Trails, and in partnership with the City (of Malta) to pursue a grant to renovate the Trafton Bridge into a pedestrian bridge."

The project was pursued a few years ago but the Phillips County officials weren't interested in taking it on at that time. If the project is successful, the bridge will be accessible from the Trafton Trailhead and will feature benches, lighting, and new decking using reclaimed lumber. It will be closed on the north side to accommodate the private property on the opposite side of the trail system.

"We're still in the very early stages, and we have a planning meeting set with Malta Trails on September 28th," Handly said. "Laura Pankratz is going to help me as she's familiar with the grant work on the exist-ing trail system"

The Malta City Council has agreed to bring the project to a vote pending further information. Mayor John Demarais is excited about the project.

"I am really looking forward to that," he said. "I have great visions, thinking of the great light shows we could have. I just imagine watching all the kayakers floating by."