Hilltop Rd. safety needs full review

Columbia Falls is rightly concerned about safety on U.S. 2 at the Hilltop Road intersection.

The City Council has asked the city manager to formally request that the Department of Transportation reduce the speed limit there from 55 to 45. Just last month, a teenager was nearly killed when he was struck by a vehicle, and that was just the latest in a long line of accidents.

But we think the state needs to do more than just lower the speed limit. Drivers already travel at speeds in excess of the speed limit on U.S. 2 in Columbia Falls, and they would probably continue to do so in any

case.

It is time to do a thorough traffic study at the Hilltop intersection. One thing which should be examined is the line-of-sight for both drivers and pedestrians. Because of the grade of the incline on U.S. 2, there is a substantial blind spot for anyone exiting Hilltop Road. Changing the grade might save lives.

Another possibility that should be considered is a traffic light at Hilltop to force traffic to slow down as it enters town. Probably a combination of all three ideas is the best solution, and we hope the state gets to work on this issue quickly, before lives are needlessly lost.

It's sometimes difficult to get developers and conservationists thinking the same way, but when it happens, the community and the environment both benefit.

The proposed Viking Creek project across from The Lodge at Whitefish Lake is a noteworthy example of this kind of cooperation. Dan Averill and sons Sean and Brian, partners in the lodge, spent months working with Friends of Wisconsin Wetlands to reach agreement about how 37 acres - a good deal of it sensitive wetlands - should be developed.

In the end, they decided the majority of the acreage shouldn't be developed. The Averills will give 30 acres to Whitefish Lake Institute for a conservation preserve and will help pay for wetlands restoration. Parts of the acreage will be used for lodge expansion and a separate subdivision.

Neighbors of the wetlands have said all along that this property is a critical drainage corridor for Whitefish Lake and should be largely left as is. It appears the Viking Creek project accomplishes the goals of all involved parties.