Bypass cost estimate soars to $93 million

The expected price tag of the Kalispell bypass has more than tripled in the last six months, jumping from $28 million to $93.5 million as a result of design changes, higher traffic projections and more accurate cost estimates.

Department of Transportation officials say it's unlikely that this "Cadillac version" of the bypass can be justified. Consequently, they met with Kalispell officials this week to try to pare back the design to something more affordable.

No firm decisions were made, but at least one alternative was identified that would keep the critical design elements while reducing the estimated cost to $58 million.

"I think the [$93.5 million] price was higher than anyone anticipated," said Dwane Kailey, interim district administrator for the state agency. "We can afford the Cadillac version - but it would be the only construction project in our whole district for the next five years."

Work would continue on the U.S. 93 upgrade between Evaro and Polson, he said, but there wouldn't be any money available for new construction on U.S. 2 or along U.S. 93 near Whitefish or south of Missoula.

"I don't think that's in everyone's best interests," Kailey said.

The $93.5 million figure does not include right of way or utility relocation expenses, he said. These items could add another $8 million to $10 million to the final cost.

Efforts to complete the design of the bypass began last summer; an environmental impact statement for the project also is being updated. Together, this work resulted in the updated cost estimate.

The initial $28 million price was for a decade-old, bare-bones design featuring at-grade intersections and traffic signals - meaning bypass traffic would have had to stop at every road crossing on the eight-mile route.

Given the pace of growth in the Flathead and recent traffic projections, Kailey said, it became obvious that this basic model would no longer suffice. It simply shifted traffic congestion from downtown Kalispell out to the bypass, defeating the whole purpose of the project.

"Whenever you have to put a traffic signal in, it just adds to the congestion," he said. "When we looked at the future traffic volumes, we realized that signals at every intersection wouldn't meet the intent of the bypass. We decided [last year] that it was in everyone's best interests to look at interchanges."

A typical diamond interchange includes an overpass (or underpass) with on and off ramps in both directions. It allows traffic to keep moving while still providing access to the bypass and to the crossing street.

"It's definitely a better design … until you look at the price tag," Kailey said.

Kalispell City Manager Jim Patrick, who attended both Department of Transportation meetings this week, said a single interchange could cost about $6 million.

The "Cadillac version" of the bypass would include as many as 10 overpasses and nine full or partial interchanges.

To get the total price down to something more manageable, officials tentatively discussed scaling back some of the access points, delaying various expenditures and modifying the design.

"What's the fall-back position? That's what these meetings were all about," said Kalispell Public Works Director Jim Hansz, who attended both meetings.

For example, the high-end design includes an "urban" cross-section, Hansz said, meaning there would be curbs, gutters and sidewalks along the entire route, with wide medians between the north- and south-bound lanes.

A less expensive alternative would be to build a rural cross-section, which has narrow medians and no curbs, gutters or sidewalks.

"It looks like we can come up with a modified rural cross-section - keeping the critical design elements at each of the intersections - for about $58 million," Hansz said.

That option would still include overpasses so that vehicles could travel from the south end of the bypass, near Gardner Auction Center, to the north end at West Reserve Drive without having to stop at any intersections. The open question is what type of access there would be at each of the cross streets.

"There's no doubt we'll have full access at the north and south end and at U.S. 2," Kailey said.

Beyond that, though, nothing is set in stone.

"Each intersection would be a little different," he said. "Even if we can't afford a [diamond] interchange, what we're considering is buying the necessary right of way now so that we could build it at some point in the future."

There's also talk - based on public concerns about traffic noise - of depressing the road bed slightly so that some of the sound would be absorbed or deflected by roadside berms.

The next public meeting on the bypass is tentatively scheduled for April 7. Kailey encouraged people to attend that event to review the latest design options and provide additional comments.

Reporter Bill Spence may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at bspence@dailyinterlake.com