Commissioners take up road-dust resolution

The Flathead County commissioners will vote on a resolution today to give the county the authority to immediately close any roads deemed to be health risks because of dust resulting from additional traffic diverted from a closed road.

According to a press release from the county commissioners, increased dust on Prairie View Road caused by the traffic diverted from Church Drive has created a risk to public health.

The county's solution is to give the county road superintendent the power to immediately close Prairie View Road or any road deemed a public health risk because of dust.

The city of Kalispell closed Church Drive in mid-August because of construction of the recently annexed Silverbrook development, located south of Church Drive and west of U.S. 93.

Traffic from Church Drive, a paved road, has been diverted onto Prairie View Road, a gravel road.

According to Commissioner Joe Brenneman, Prairie View Road cannot handle the vehicle load the diversion has caused.

Who is responsible for the dust mitigation on Prairie View Road has yet to be seen.

In a press release, Brenneman called the diversion of traffic onto Prairie View Road a failure of the City of Kalispell to adequately address dust issues resulting from its annexation of Silverbrook.

Earlier this week, the county Road Department put up signs on Prairie View Road restricting through truck traffic.

According to Kalispell Public Works Department Construction Manager Mark Crowley, several weeks ago the county Road Department graded Prairie View Road before the developer of Silverbrook voluntarily treated the roadway with magnesium chloride, a dust abatement.

"The developer really went above and beyond by volunteering to treat the road," Crowley said.

City-County Health Administrator Joe Russell said representatives from the city and county have not agreed on who will take responsibility for dust mitigation on Prairie View Road.

If the county commissioners pass the emergency resolution and an agreement between the city and county is not reached soon, the Flathead County Sheriff's Office could be ordered to staff road blocks at both ends of Prairie View Road to insure only residents use the road.

The Flathead County commissioners will consider the emergency resolution at 10:30 a.m. today.

Reporter Amy May may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at amay@dailyinterlake.com