Howdy makers of Montana

Welcome back always happy to have you! Today were digging for gold on someones placer gold claim, gathering beta on the new Town and Pump, watching road construction, admiring air stream busses, running out of water in Forsyth, and detouring around the Tetons. Get ready for the next 5 minutes of blue collar updates focused on Montana.

Keep the saw sharp and happy belated Fathers Day to all the dads reading the build,

Daniel

When, what, and who is the Bozeman Build? The BB is a 1x/week free email newsletter delivered every Monday morning focused on mountain West trades with an emphasis on Montana. The author Daniel Z has a background in accounting, commodities, construction, trucking, and operates a small business called blockbiome. Daniel is not a financial or building advisor.

A quick word from our sponsors…

Saw Dust + Steel Brewing Co

A small-town brewery located in Three Forks, MT, with deliciously creative craft beers. We hope you enjoy all we have to offer, and share the experience with others. Saw Dust + Steel Brewing

Seen around Montana this week

Tanked tankers

Found these two tanker cars scuffed up from a potential derailment at the Harlowton rest stop on Friday June 14th. The size/scale of rail cars is always amazing to me.

Online finds of the week

Hobby placer gold mining op

The very first time I met my friend Jenna’s dad Ed - he wouldn’t stop talking about his hobby placer mine as his spouse rolled her eyes having a “here we go again look”. Ed invited the build out to labor and document the claim.

Reach out if you want a project or operation featured in the build!

Montana commodities

Prices as of Thursday 06/13 around 11am covering the top 3 hard and soft commodities that MT produces. The Bozeman Build is not financial advice and prices are always subject to change.

Hard

Soft

Large swings last week

Local, State, US Wide Trade Pulse

Bozeman trade pulse

Events

(Theres always so much going on - please tell us what’s missing!)

Big Sky, Bright Future June 19th-20th Governor Gianforte and the Montana Chamber of Commerce are joining forces to present the first-of-its-kind, Big Sky, Bright Future Economic Summit! With a focus on improving Montana's talent pipeline, business climate, entrepreneurship prospects and quality of life through workforce readiness, reform, and infrastructure investment, you don't want to miss the Summit! Montana Chamber

Conquer Hunger at Mudoch's June 27th Join Murdoch's in partnership with MTN OPS in the fight against hunger! Volunteer for Conquer Hunger, a meal-packing event benefitting the Gallatin Valley Food Bank at our Bozeman Home Office. Let's make a difference together! Event Info here

2024 Gallatin Whitewater Fest June 29th including a Slalom, down river, and boater x race. Gallatin White Water

Overhead Bozeman

7th and Aspen Housing Development - Midtown A proposed affordable housing development in Midtown called 7th and Aspen in Bozeman, Montana has recently been approved by the Bozeman City Commission. The project is proposed to include 96 affordable rental units. - Bozeman Real Estate Group

Rouse Avenue Closure June 12 And 13 MDT closed Rouse Avenue between the intersections with East Oak Street and East Griffin Drive to facilitate BNSF operations. BNSF crews are closing the railroad crossing for necessary railroad track repairs.

Federal Building recorded bird sounds - The federal building downtown uses recorded predator bird calls to keep nuisance birds away. Someone last week was noticing the sounds of tropical birds and made a comment on the internet about it. R/Bozeman

Town and Pump off Huffine - The Little America of Bozeman. The Build called the corporate office (super pleasant to speak with) they mentioned this location will staff around 60 people and is anticipated to open its doors late July.

Airstream bussssss

Found these two airstream busses a few blocks apart around South Bozeman.

191 Work

I overhead 15-20-30 minute delays each way (depends on many factors such as time of day, detour, stage of construction, this is not travel advice). We took some video and pictures evening of June 11th. Below are a few resources related to the canyon pavement work.

Gallatin Canyon Pavement Preservation and Safety Improvements

US 191/MT 64 Optimization Plan

Montana trade pulse

Fire season forecast: Wetter than expected - Dan Borsum, a Missoula-based forecaster with the Northern Rockies Coordinating Center, said springtime moisture has mitigated the impacts of a generally dismal winter snowpack in Montana - Montana Free Press

Boil order in place for Forsyth following construction mishap that emptied water tower Wednesday - Rosebud County Disaster and Emergency Services announced a boil order alert for all tap water in the Forsyth city limits. Forsyth residents are asked to conserve water and boil all tap water. - Montana Right Now

MDT News last week - MDT News

• 20240612-114029 | Proposed Railroad Crossing Upgrades On 5th Street

• 20240612-095602 | Proposed Resurfacing Project Near Helena

• 20240610-125024 | Periodic Ramp Closure On Augusta Interchange Week Of June 10

• 20240610-114815 | Rouse Avenue Closure June 12 And 13

• 20240610-092141 | MDT Announces Road Work On US Highway 212 In Rosebud County

Upcoming Lettings - MDOT

• 201 – BOZEMAN HILL – EAST AND SF229 D2 I-90 STRIPING 6 IN

• 202 – JCT MT 59 – NORTHEAST S-489

• 203 – SF189 PVMT MARKINGS D3

• 204 – GREAT FALLS URBAN PAVE PRES

  Alternative Contracting

• 302 – BILLINGS DISTRICT ADA UPGRADES

• 502 – DAR STRUCTURES-LEWISTOWN AREA

  USA wide highlights

Transportation Commission approves Teton Pass detour; detour could open in two weeks The Wyoming Transportation Commission awarded a $430,000 emergency bid to Evans Construction during a special meeting this afternoon via Zoom. Based out of Jackson, Evans will construct the temporary detour around the Big Fill slide at mile marker 12.8 on Wyoming Highway 22, also known as Teton Pass. - WY DOT News

Construction Dive Picks

Bozeman Builds top picks from the Construction Dive last week

Turner uses electric skid steer at Berkeley’s $550M Gateway project - The quieter equipment will allow crews to work with minimal disruption to classes at the University of California.

Construction input prices drop for first time in 2024 For contractors, lower material costs also signal the potential for reduced interest rates due to slowing inflation, said Associated Builders and Contractors’ chief economist.

$7.85B Mountain Valley Pipeline construction complete Gas will soon flow on the much-delayed project, which received a green light from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Tuesday.

Skanska inks deal for Key Bridge removal The Maryland Transportation Authority contracted the Sweden-based company for $50 million to remove and dispose of debris of the ill-fated span.

Ag, Mining, and Transport

Ag

Bayer's First Carbon Credits Are Issued, More On The Way - According to Nori, a carbon removal issuing program, registry and marketplace, over 125,000 regenerative tonnes from the program have been issued. - Agweb

Mining/Energy

TerraPower Begins Construction on Advanced Nuclear Project in Wyoming The beginning of construction activities on the NatriumTM demonstration project site marks the first advanced nuclear reactor project under construction in the Western Hemisphere. - TerraPower

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $725 Million from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to Clean Up Legacy Pollution - The Department of the Interior today announced that nearly $725 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is available to 22 states and the Navajo Nation to create good-paying jobs and catalyze economic opportunity by reclaiming abandoned mine lands (AML). - Dept of Interior

Transport

Postal Service cautions pet owners after logging 5,800 dog bites in 2023 The U.S. Postal Service’s 2024 National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign is underway - Freight Waves

USDOT Fines Emirates Nearly $2 Million for Operating Flights Carrying A U.S. Carrier’s Code in Prohibited Airspace The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today fined Emirates $1.8 million for operating flights carrying JetBlue Airways’ designator code in regions in which a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight prohibition was in effect for U.S. operators. - US DOT

Montana History

Construction of the Gibson Dam, 1926-29

Gibson Dam, the principal structure of Sun River Project, is on the Sun River, 70 miles west of Great Falls, Montana. It is a concrete arch dam 199 feet high and contains 167,500 cubic yards of concrete. -USBR.GOV

Thank you for reading,

Daniel