Harsh winter, funding delays put construction of Empire Garage behind schedule

Andy Nelson can almost set the clocks of the Western Pawn Shop by watching the traffic pass by his storefront on Montana Avenue.

When the line of cars gets longer than his shop at2817 Montana Ave.,he knows rush hour has begun.

"At 5 oclock, its the worst," he said.

The construction site where the new Empire Parking Garage is being built, on the corner of Montana Avenue and North 27th Street, has taken up one of the driving lanes since January 2013, creating a bottleneck that backs up traffic morning and night.

"When youre pinching from three to two (lanes), its tough," said Nelson, the pawn shop owner. "Then the train comes through and everyones trying to take a right, its something."

The city-owned project originally had a planned completion date of mid-February.

But a record-breaking winter and some initial funding setbacks put construction of the $16 million structure behind schedule.

It is being built by Sletten Construction of Great Falls.

Left turns from Montana onto North 27th also are restricted.

The parking spaces in front of the pawn shop have been replaced by traffic cones and a temporary blinking sign, instructing drivers to merge right.

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Harsh winter, funding delays put construction of Empire Garage behind schedule