Reconstruction of 52 miles of US 14A between Big Horn Lake and Burgess Junction began with a bridge and causeway at the lake in the mid-60s. The mountain project was considered one of the most difficult in the Department's history. Construction costs were more than $2.4 million, compared with $33,000 spent in the 1920s and '30s. There were 11 prime contractors and 18 contracts involved. Construction on the east end began in 1967, and the entire road was completed in 1983. The work used several unique road-building techniques as surveyors and engineers became rock climbers, rock-bolting stabilized vertical walls, reinforced earth walls made the road stable on steep side slopes, and fractured rock surfaces were secured with metal netting bolted to the rock. Each of five reinforced walls was a mass of earth fill in which metal strips anchored the outer retaining wall, which was made of interlocking metal panels in horizontal layers. When completed, the road was hailed as an engineering and construction masterpiece for its placement in steep alpine terrain. Hundreds of people contributed to its design, engineering, construction, and support programs, including Governors Cliff Hansen, Stan Hathaway, Ed Herscher, many workers employed during their terms, and local personalities, supporters, contractors, and suppliers. Federal, state, and local funding all played significant roles in building the road.