Intersection under review
Traffic streams south Thursday morning past an impromptu memorial set up in the median of U.S. 93 near the intersection with Montana 82. A 14-year-old boy died Tuesday while trying to cross U.S. 93 on his bicycle. Jennifer DeMonte/Daily Inter Lake
State looking at need for traffic light at site where teen bicyclist died
The Montana Department of Transportation is evaluating the need for a traffic signal at the intersection of U.S. 93 and Montana 82, a department spokeswoman said Thursday.
On Tuesday, 14-year-old Dane Shattuck of Somers was struck and killed by a car while trying to cross U.S. 93 at Montana 82 on his bicycle.
Shattuck was transported to Kalispell Regional Medical Center after the 12:15 p.m. crash, and later was pronounced dead. Shattuck suffered massive blunt force trauma to his head, neck, and chest, according to Flathead County coroners.
Shattuck's death has spurred public discourse about the dangers associated with the intersection. Articles about the crash on the Inter Lake's Web site have received more than 50 comments total. (See related story.)
But evaluation of the need for a traffic light at the intersection is still in the beginning stages, according to Duane Williams, Department of Transportation traffic and safety engineer.
Williams said that because nearby development is expected to increase the volume of traffic traveling U.S. 93 and Montana 82, the Department of Transportation had already been studying the intersection, partly with the help of a development company, Cooper Farms.
But before the Department of Transportation decides whether or not to install a traffic light, several studies would need to be completed, Williams said. The whole process, from research to installation, could take anywhere from one to two years and cost more than $200,000.
The initial steps are a study of traffic volume, crash data, and the time it takes to navigate the intersection. Studies follow on the intersection's capacity and a model of the intersection's performance if a signal were put in place. Then the Department of Transportation must review timing, turn signals, and how to design the intersection. Finally, bids are accepted from contractors.
"We're still collecting data, forecasting, and determining how much traffic there is now and will be in the future," Williams said.
There were 15 crashes at the junction of U.S. 93 and Montana 82 from 2005 to 2006, according to Department of Transportation data. None of those were fatal.
A pedestrian push-button traffic signal would provide both a break in traffic for people in cars turning onto U.S. 93 from Montana 82 and for pedestrians trying to cross the street, but it wouldn't necessarily slow the overall flow of traffic through the intersection, Williams said.
"When the light is green, it wouldn't really have an effect on speed," he added.
In fact, a traffic light could actually increase the number of accidents at any given intersection, he said. Given the light's timing, an intersection could see a rise in rear-endings and right-angle collisions.
"It's a very definite concern when we're thinking about putting in a traffic signal," Williams said.
The Department of Transportation has already recommended that the speed limit along the stretch of U.S. 93 where the accident occurred be lowered to 55 mph. The proposed 55 mph zone would stretch from the end of the 45 mph speed zone just north of Somers to about 1.5 miles past the intersection with Montana 82.
The recommendation will be considered by the Transportation Commission in August and either be adopted, rejected, or sent back for re-evaluation.
A law passed by the state Legislature raising the speed limit on U.S. 93 will go into effect Oct. 1. It will not, however, override lower speed zones set by the Department of Transportation.
There were a total of 157 motor vehicle collisions with bicyclists in Montana in 2005, and 10- to 14-year-olds were involved in 25 of the 157. That was the most of any age group in 2005, the last year for which Department of Transportation data is available. Four of those crashes were fatal.
Motor vehicle collisions with bicycles accounted for less than 1 percent of all Montana crashes in 2005 and less than 2 percent of all fatalities.
Dane Shuttuck's death is the 10th traffic-related fatality in Flathead County this year, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.
Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com