Lack of money likely to deter N.F. paving plans

To pave or not to pave may not be the question.

Due to lack of money, Flathead County Commissioner Jim Dupont said the long-talked-about paving of the North Fork Road will not likely happen anytime soon unless the federal government decides to pay for it.

Dupont made the comments Tuesday night during an open house held by the Montana Department of Transportation in Columbia Falls.

“At this time, Flathead County doesn’t have the money to pave the road,” Dupont said. “I don’t know if they’ll ever have the money.

“I’d like to see it improved,” Dupont said. “There’s barely enough [county] money to grade it.”

He said he believes that paving the road probably is not the best option for improving the road, but added: “If we could get federal money, we would do it.”

The North Fork Road, also known as Montana Secondary Road 486, used to be owned by the federal government, Dupont said. 

Years ago, then-Sen. Conrad Burns had obtained federal funding for the county road, but there was a “big uproar” and the money was redirected to Big Mountain Road in Whitefish, Dupont said.

Tuesday’s meeting was for the public to make comments on a draft corridor study document. Some possible options already have been nixed, and the final report could incorporate public comments to further reduce the options.

The report’s conclusion will be issued in late August, Montana Department of Transportation Project Manager Sheila Ludlow said. A newsletter containing a summary of the public comments from Tuesday’s meeting will be released in a few weeks.

The study concerns a 13.2-mile section of the road from Blankenship Road to Camas Road. Some 3.4 miles already are paved, which leaves 9.8 miles unpaved.

Flathead County prioritized Willow Glen Road in Kalispell as its next secondary roads project, according to Montana Department of Transportation Engineer Wayne Noem. However, the county already had its first secondary road project approved [Big Mountain Road] and will not get another project until at least another five years, Noem said.

However, improvement of North Fork Road could be federally funded under a different transportation project, Noem said.

Cecily McNeil has owned land in the North Fork since 1958. She opposes paving because “I see it as a vehicle to make that area just like anywhere else. It’s still relatively unspoiled.”

John Frederick, a Polebridge resident and president of the North Fork Preservation Association, also opposes paving “because the wildlife and the way of life will be affected.” Frederick favors using magnesium chloride and bentonite [clay] on the road for dust control.

Tom Edwards, who owns a house off the North Fork Road near the Canadian border, said paving the road is the only way to cost-efficiently maintain the road long-term. “It’s horrible for any vehicle,” he said. Rock-chipped windows are just the beginning of vehicle problems, he said, noting the gravel road tears up tires and suspensions.

Polebridge resident Steve Lockwood said he is “dissuaded from visiting my neighbors who are a mile to three miles away because the road is an unpleasant experience.”