The recent closure of a historically significant and functionally important bridge spanning the Blackfoot River left Greenough, Montana residents feeling isolated. Students at Sunset School, a one-room schoolhouse in operation since 1917, worked together to create an audio story about the future of the bridge and what it means to residents of the Blackfoot River valley.
The Sunset Hill Road Bridge is the last of six original metal bridges, providing passage over the Blackfoot River since 1907. In September of 2025, the bridge was fenced off by Missoula County Public Works. The Montana Department of Transportation deemed the bridge could no longer safely carry traffic, including foot traffic. Shortly after, a proposal to replace the bridge, claiming a $4.1 million price tag, proved a setback.
Six students ranging from 5th grade to 8th grade identified potential sources, wrote interview questions, and recorded narration. They interviewed Greenough community figures as well as their county commissioner and a state bridge inspector. What they discovered is a community connected by a common thread: the Sunset Hill Road Bridge. For some, it provided a serene view on their drive home from a long day of work. For others, the bridge represented the simple beauty of getting to see their neighbors more often. For the students of Greenough, the closure presented a new danger: in the event of a large wildfire on the western side of the school, the bridge would become the only viable escape route.
The future of the bridge remains uncertain after a tax levy that would have partially funded the construction of a new bridge failed to pass in October. Missoula County has applied for two federal grants for the new bridge in recent years, but did not receive them.
County Commissioner Juanita Vero told student reporters on October 31, 2025, “ There’s no way that just us in this room or just us in the county, your parents would be able to pay for this… So yes, we’re waiting for other sources and right now the federal government’s closed down, so that makes it very difficult to even have these conversations or plan or look for those grants. So we’re just gonna have to wait. We’re stuck waiting.”
After a week of reporting, students assembled interview tape, natural sound, and narration into a cohesive audio story and presented their work to members of the community at Sunset School on October 31, 2025.