Mont. 35 can't be closed to truckers

Further large-truck restrictions on Montana 35 between Bigfork and Polson are unlikely, but officials are taking steps to make the road safer, Montana Department of Transportation Director Jim Lynch said Thursday night.

“I agree with everyone who lives on 35 that three truck accidents in a year is three accidents too many,” Lynch said during a public meeting in Somers to discuss truck traffic and highway safety .

Since the last round of public meetings on the issue, held in June 2008, the state has eliminated 10 passing zones, erected guardrails and flattened shoulder slopes.

The department also has installed additional, larger road signs and a slow-vehicle turnout near mile marker 7.

Starting in January, single-trip and annually permitted non-local loads more than 8.5 feet wide are restricted on Montana 35 from Bigfork to Polson.

“You will no longer see wide loads on Montana 35, that’s a change that’s taking place,” Lynch said.

But banning trucks from the highway, or even restricting trucks hauling hazardous materials — which includes fuel and a number of other common chemicals — are not options, Lynch said.

In 1982, Montana 35 was added to the national network of highways, which in the interest of interstate commerce places federal limits on truck-traffic restrictions.

And state statutes, which cannot be more rigorous than federal rules, allow for size and weight restrictions only temporarily and for specific purposes, such as construction or road conditions.

“That doesn’t give us a lot of options to decide one way or the other what we can do on that roadway,” Lynch said.

The state would work with the community if residents demanded the removal of Montana 35 from the national network, but it would be a “real reach,” Lynch said.

“You can’t just take a road off the national network. You have to have pretty good cause,” he said.

Efforts by some residents on the east shore of Flathead Lake to ban or partially limit truck traffic on Montana 35 have been ongoing since at least 1975, when a fuel truck crashed and exploded, burning a nearby house to the ground.

Then, on April 2, 2008, a tanker truck hauling a pup trailer overturned near Finley Point, spilling more than 6,300 gallons of fuel into the ground and forcing people out of their nearby homes.

Most recently, a chip truck rolled over on Oct. 20, also near Finley Point, and burst into flames after its fuel tanks caught fire. The driver, who was injured in the crash, reportedly lost control after briefly taking his eyes off the road.

In each case, the trucks were within weight and length regulations and the only commonality in the crashes was driver error, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

In response to public outcry after the April 2008 tanker crash — which has cost millions of dollars to clean up — the state commissioned a speed-zone study, stepped up enforcement efforts and conducted structural analysis of the Swan River bridge and highway pavement conditions.

Experts concluded that the highway — with its current speed limits, the structurally sound bridge and frequent maintenance of the pavement — is capable of carrying truck traffic.

“People will drive that roadway at what speeds they’re comfortable with,” Lynch said. “The road is going to take some maintenance work, but it always will.”

Residents who attended Thursday’s meeting, however, continued to voice concerns about excessive truck speeds, the transport of hazardous materials, and the severity of recent truck crashes. 

Lynch said additional enforcement efforts, including more Motor Carrier Services patrols and a portable weigh station, are in place.

Trucking industry representatives said they would support reduced speeds through the Finley Point area, additional training for drivers specific to conditions on Montana 35, and the establishment of a community road-watch program.

“It’s not just the truckers,” said Spook Stang of the Montana Motor Carriers Association. “Until we quit using the products they deliver, we’re in this together.”

Although Montana 35 has a lower speed limit than U.S. 93 on the other side of Flathead Lake, truckers sometimes prefer using Montana 35 between the North Flathead Valley and Missoula because it is flatter, quicker and burns less fuel.

Thursday’s meeting was attended by dozens of area residents and trucking industry representatives.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com