South 93 bypass gets local nod
By JOHN STANG
County, city support seems to be swaying state officials
The Daily Inter Lake
It appears the southern half of the proposed U.S. 93 bypass around Kalispell might be built first, now that the Flathead County commissioners and the Kalispell City Council have affirmed their support for that option.
They voiced that stance recently in letters to Montana's Department of Transportation. And they repeated that stance Monday in a meeting with state transportation officials and consultants.
Their recommendation contradicts that of the Kalispell Technical Advisory Committee to construct the north half first.
The elected officials' recommendation will go to the technical advisory committee Thursday. If that committee does not voice major concerns, then the southern half will be built first, said Dwane Kailey, the transportation department's Missoula district administrator.
"We said this would be a community decision and that's what we're standing behind," Kailey said.
If the southern-half choice is adopted, construction would begin on:
. A $1.2 million, four-lane version of West Reserve Drive looping south from Stillwater Road to curve around Glacier High School to connect with U.S. 93 next to Costco. Construction is expected to begin and finish in 2007.
. Four miles of a two-lane bypass, or 3.5 miles of a four-lane plus a half-mile of a two-bypass from U.S. 93 just south of Gardner's Auction to U.S. 2 - depending on how much federal money is available. This work likely would begin in 2008 at the earliest and finish in late 2009.
The technical advisory committee - with representatives from the city of Kalispell, the state transportation department and the public - spent several months studying bypass phasing alternatives. It then recommended that the West Reserve Loop and the northern half of the bypass - from West Reserve to U.S. 2 - be built first.
But Kalispell business interests lobbied to build the southern half first so heavy through traffic - including trucks - would be routed away from downtown. A petition with 250 signatures and roughly 100 form letters in favor of building the southern half first were sent to state officials.
Meanwhile, some technical committee members changed their minds, but the majority still recommended that the north half be constructed first.
But when Flathead and Kalispell elected officials added their support to initial construction of the southern leg, state officials decided to let the commissioners and council members make the decision.
Kailey and engineers from Stelling Engineers inc. of Helena briefed the commissioners and council Monday on bypass options.
The estimated cost to build the bypass is $76 million.
Of that, $30 million is available, necessitating that the route be built in stages. Congress will consider a request to add another $8.2 million this winter, likely in January. That extra $8.2 million is not guaranteed. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont. - locked in a tight re-election race - is shepherding that request.
The commissioners, City Council, state officials and the technical advisory committee agree that the West Reserve Loop should be built soon to improve traffic flow. The new Glacier High School, under construction at the corner of West Reserve and Stillwater, opens in fall 2007.
On Monday, the commissioners and council looked at four choices for the bypass, but indicated they did not see any reason to change their recommendation. Some said they were ambivalent and could go with either option. But no one seriously argued in favor of the northern half being built first.
The elected officials voiced strong support for building a four-lane bypass highway regardless of whether $38.2 million or $30 million is available. The presence of a four-lane highway going partly around Kalispell's west side should encourage Congress to fund a four-lane road for the rest of the project, they argued.
The elected officials speculated that a two-lane partial bypass might not get congressional support for more than two lanes for the rest of the way.