Study: Keep 55 mph at Fairmont Road

A new traffic study for Montana 35 recommends keeping the speed limit at 55 mph through the intersection with Fairmont Road.

The study also found that the speed limit in the Shady Lane area of Montana 35 is posted too high, state traffic engineer James Freyholtz told the county commissioners last week.

“We found a discrepancy east of Shady Lane where it goes to 55 too quickly,” Freyholtz said, explaining the transition from 45 to 55 should be another half-mile to the east.

The commissioners agreed to support the Montana Department of Transportation’s recommendations and asked Freyholtz to consider holding a public meeting within the next few weeks to talk about traffic issues.

“It would be a nice gesture to the community,” Commissioner Joe Brenneman said.

No date has been set yet for that meeting.

The traffic study was prompted by an executive request to continue the 55 mph speed in the Fairmont Road area that was put in place during construction of a new bridge across the Flathead River.

From an operational standpoint, motorists are traveling below the statutory 70 mph speed limit throughout the entire segment, the study noted.

The Fairmont Road/Montana 35 intersection had signal lights from April 2008 through October 2009 while a new bridge was being built across the Flathead River.

When the bridge was completed, the signal lights came down because a state traffic study showed it was not warranted.

Removal of the lights sparked a public outcry, particularly among parents and faculty at Fair-Mont-Egan School.

The study reiterates that there’s no justification for a traffic light at that intersection.

The Department of Transportation uses national standards to determine whether a stoplight is warranted at an intersection.

Of eight possible criteria an intersection could meet, it only has to meet one to demonstrate the need for a signal. Fairmont Road and Montana 35 didn’t meet any of the eight possible standards, Freyholtz said.

The latest speed study started near milepost 48 and continued west across the Flathead River bridge. Average annual daily traffic volume is 12,000 vehicles east of the river.

West of the river the road widens to include a two-way left-turn lane and volumes increase to 15,600 vehicles daily.

There were 80 crashes during a three-year period from the beginning of 2006 through 2008, which equates to a crash rate of 2.39 crashes per one million vehicle miles traveled. Three of the crashes involved fatalities.

Freyholtz said he state is looking at intersection improvements at Fairmont Road that would include a westbound left-turn lane.

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