County road plan ready for prime time

A makeover of the busy intersection of U.S. 2 and Reserve Drive is among top-priority road projects outlined in Flathead County’s draft transportation plan.

The comprehensive plan, written by Robert Peccia & Associates to be an addendum to the county growth policy, is now in the public-comment phase until Dec. 7.

In addition to a review of the existing transportation system, growth projections and a financial analysis, the draft details 23 intersections and roadways that need immediate improvements or will need future upgrades.

At U.S. 2 and Reserve Drive, signal phasing should be put in place and an analysis needs to be done to determine if turn lanes are needed along the eastern and western approach legs, the plan recommends. The estimated cost of improvements at the high-traffic junction is $425,000.

The plan notes that the close proximity of the Town Pump gas station “likely contributes to the high number of crashes and high congestion levels at this location.” Access consolidation should be considered, the plan suggests.

The stretch of East Reserve Drive from U.S. 2 to Helena Flats Road also is on the top-priority list for upgrades to accommodate future traffic demands.

That upgrade — road shoulders, bike lanes, sidewalks and divided median with turn bay — comes with a projected $3.4 million price tag.

Other intersection upgrades deemed the highest priority include:

n Fairmont Road and Montana 35 — $500,000 for a traffic signal and turn lanes. Traffic signals recently were removed amid protests from residents concerned about the safety of Fair-Mont-Egan School students. The signal lights were installed in April 2008 to help manage additional traffic after the Old Steel Bridge was closed and a new bridge was built across the Flathead River.

The Fairmont Road intersection was one of two that got failing grades in the plan for level of service at unsignalized intersections because of traffic congestion and vehicle delays.

But Peccia & Associates engineering designer Scott Randall told the county commissioners on Thursday that although the administrative draft of the transportation plan considered the Fairmont Road intersection as signalized, the public draft recommends turn lanes.

“We’ve revised it to be unsignalized right now,” Randall said. “There’s an immediate need for turn lanes” with future potential for a traffic light.

n Batavia Lane and U.S. 2 — $500,000 for traffic signal and turn lanes. Any intersection improvement needs to include pedestrian accommodations, the plan recommends, noting that Smith Valley School is located in the southwest corner of the junction. A number of students cross U.S. 2.

n Hodgson Road and U.S. 93 — $425,000 for advance intersection warning signs because it’s difficult to see when traveling west along Hodgson. Ultimately, the vertical curve along Hodgson should be flattened to increase visibility at the intersection, the plan recommends.

n Whitefish Stage Road and West Evergreen Drive — $350,000 for a traffic signal, if an analysis warrants it. The city of Kalispell transportation plan recommends a three-way stop control plus dedicated left- and right-turn lanes on the east leg of West Evergreen Drive.

n West Springcreek Road and U.S. 2 — $500,000 for a traffic signal if an analysis warrants it. A roundabout also may be considered. Advance intersection warning signs should be installed as needed, the plan advises. Substantial grading work may be needed due to the vertical alignments for all legs of the intersection; those costs weren’t included in the plan. This intersection also got a failing grade for level of service.

A financial analysis in the plan identifies federal, state and local funding sources for road upgrades but doesn’t tie specific funding to individual road projects.

The County Planning Board and Road Advisory Committee on Thursday began a series of workshops to go through the massive document page by page. The next workshop tentatively is set for Dec. 3.

“We’re hoping to get the plan to the county commissioners by early next year,” Planning Director Jeff Harris said, “but we won’t sacrifice public input to do that.”

In fact, Harris said “there’s a real good chance” the Dec. 7 public-comment deadline will be extended.

The transportation plan is nearly a year behind schedule because the state Department of Transportation — the only government entity that can compile the data for vehicle trips — was backlogged, Harris said.

“We got stacked in the queue,” he said. “The modeling should have been done 10 months ago.

Commissioner Dale Lauman said he reviewed the draft and “didn’t see anything that jumped out and said ‘uh-oh.’”

Copies of the draft plan can be downloaded from the Planning Office Web site, at http://flathead.mt.gov/planning_zoning/Drafts.php, or CDs of the plan can be picked up at the Planning Office, 1035 First Ave. W. in Kalispell.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com