Directional signs are going up and within a few weeks a segment of the Northeast Billings Bypass will allow access to the Yellowstone River Bridge which will connect Johnson Lane in Lockwood to Five Mile Road in the Heights. It will eventually connect the yet-to-be built portion of the Bypass that will parallel Mary Street connecting the Bypass from the bridge to Main Street in the Heights.

No definite date to open the road from Johnson Lane to the bridge has been set, according to Lisa Olmsted, public involvement manager for DOWL, the engineering firm participating in construction of the Bypass. Details involving the completed construction of the Railroad Overpass are still in process, she said, which besides placing signs, includes things like removing forms and adding “finishing touches.”

The Railroad Overpass project connects the Yellowstone River Bridge to the Johnson Lane Interchange. This Overpass crosses over the railroad tracks and Coulson Road.

Olmsted said that the website that MDT maintains regarding Bypass construction is updated regularly, which allows people to follow the progress.

Work is progressing on plans and infrastructure to commence construction on building Montana’s first diverging diamond interchange at the Johnson Interchange in Lockwood.  Olmsted said that construction is expected to begin late this year and to be in full swing in 2026. “There is a lot happening right now” at the Johnson Lane interchange, said Olmsted, referring to projects that are underway involving the rerouting of utilities by Lockwood Water and Sewer District, the County, the TEDD, etc.