State will have to resolve bypass dilemma

The Kalispell City Council wants Plan A.

The Flathead County commissioners and the Technical Advisory Committee want Plan B. So does the Kalispell Area Chamber of Commerce.

Now the Montana Department of Transportation will have to pick between them.

. Plan A involves funneling all available federal highway money in 2008 to build part of the U.S. 93 Kalispell bypass between Gardner's Auction and U.S. 2 - the southern half of the bypass route.

. Plan B involves doing preliminary work on the southern half, but also building a street in back of Mountain View Plaza to link West Reserve Drive with Hutton Ranch Plaza.

Jim Lynch, state transportation director, said Tuesday he does not know which choice will be made.

"What we'll probably have to do is look at the Technical Advisory Committee's recommendations. … We'll make the decision as soon as we can possible make it," Lynch said.

That decision needs to be made very soon so the state can start construction in 2008. The Department of Transportation has said it will follow the wishes of local governments in scheduling construction of the federally funded bypass during the next several years.

The Technical Advisory Committee advises local and state governments on highway issues in the central Flathead Valley.

A complicating factor showed up at Monday's Kalispell City Council meeting.

Congress had been expected to appropriate $6.2 million for the bypass for fiscal 2007-08.

But at the last minute, it opted to allocate $4.2 million in a transportation bill headed for President Bush's signature, City Manager Jim Patrick and Mayor Pam Kennedy said. Consequently, the $4.2 million will stand unless Bush vetoes the bill.

Lynch said Tuesday that he was not aware of that cut.

With $2.9 million already stashed away for construction next year, the expected $4.2 million means that $7.1 million would be available for 2008 - instead of the originally predicted $9.1 million.

County Commissioner Gary Hall said that potential cut strengthens the county's stance that the Mountain View Plaza back road should be built in 2008, arguing that traffic congestion will build up more as work on the western bypass slows down. The connector road's purpose is to dilute traffic using the U.S. 93-West Reserve Drive intersection, which will also be more or less the northern end of the bypass.

On Monday, the City Council voted 7-0 to repeat its earlier stance that the bypass should be built first between Gardner's Auction and U.S. 2 West before anything north is attempted. Council members Kari Gabriel and Duane Larson were absent.

The council and commissioners agree that some preliminary groundwork and two bridges should be built in the southern half in 2008.

But the commissioners - supported by the Technical Advisory Committee and Chamber of Commerce - also want to build that northern back road in 2008.

Their rationale is that when the county and city originally supported putting all money into the southern half first, the north side's extensive commercial districts and 4,000 proposed homes were not factors. The massive construction in northern Kalispell has prompted their push for the back road to Hutton Ranch Plaza to dilute traffic.

But the City Council contends that the prime purpose of the bypass is to route heavy through traffic away from a congested downtown - and that should be accomplished as soon as possible. That means funneling all federal highway money to the southern half first.

Some council members also are skeptical that the proposed connector road will dilute north-side traffic enough to make a difference.

"This money is for a bypass, not to correct a problem [at the U.S. 93-West Reserve Drive intersection]. It's not to put a back road to Hutton Ranch. … I don't know why the county has so much weight in this decision. The bypass is within the city," council member Hank Olson said.

Council member Tim Kluesner said: "I support the south side, sticking to our guns."

Hall said "it is offensive to hear" the council say that the county should have a much lesser say in scheduling the bypass' construction.

"That's unfortunate because we've strived for years for a good relationship with Kalispell. … We're all in this together," Hall said.

Here is how the financial picture breaks down.

Overall, the 8-mile, four-lane bypass around western Kalispell is expected to cost almost $76 million. That estimate does not include an extra $24 million for ramped interchanges at Airport Road and U.S. 2 West, which are supposed to be built after everything else is finished.

Congress has appropriated almost $26 million, mostly to cover engineering and buying property. Most of the right-of-way land has not been bought but is expected to be purchased during the next two years.

On paper, the bypass project is split into seven highway construction phases stretching from the West Reserve-U.S. 93 intersection in northern Kalispell to U.S. 93 at Gardner's Auction in southern Kalispell.

Eight bridges must be built.

The commissioners, Chamber and Technical Advisory Committee members contend that the public will want to see some tangible highway improvements quickly. They also fretted about years of building bypass segments that cannot be used until two or three are linked.

So they want to put in the connector to West Reserve Drive in 2008 for $3 million.

On the other hand, the council wants to funnel any leftover 2008 money to the southern bypass.

The city and county agree that next year must accommodate $4.3 million worth of building two dirt embankments on the bypass route just south of U.S. 2 West. These two spots hold soft soil near Ashley Creek.

The idea is that the extra dirt will settle and harden the soil in those two areas for a year or longer, so the highway can be built on top.

Finally, both sides agree that two bridges at $1.3 million each should be built to cross Ashley Creek twice near Gardner's Auction and U.S. 2 West. Those proposed bridges are in the southern half of the bypass.

The $2.6 million for two bridges, $3 million for the Hutton Ranch Plaza road and $4.3 million for the soil-settling work adds up to $9.9 million. That means $2.8 million would have to be borrowed from the right-of-way purchase funds and paid back in the future - if this scenario is followed.

If the council's stance prevails, $6.9 million would be spent on ground work and bridges with $200,000 left over for other bypass work.

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com