Tunnel planned under U.S. 93

It’s been a long and winding road for Kalispell’s trail system, but an idea that’s some 15 years old looks like it’s about to come to fruition.

A tunnel for pedestrians and bicyclists under U.S. 93 that would link Flathead Valley Community College and the Kidsports facility is in the works.

Jim Lynch, director of the Montana Department of Transportation, said the state agency has approved the tunnel, which would be placed under the highway near Four Mile Drive.

“We’d be prepared to go in the spring if they get everything together,” he said, noting his agency already has begun the design process.

Lynch referred to a local group that wants to expand the area’s trails.

“The tunnel is very much in the infancy stage,” said Jim Watson, who sits on the Flathead County Parks Board. It is included in the county and city master trails plans.

“I’m excited. My fingers are crossed,” Watson said.

“If there’s a large public function at Kidsports, the public can park at the college and just walk over there,” he said, noting the college now is using the old Department of Natural Resources and Conservation building for classes. That building is on the west side of U.S. 93 across from the main campus.

Watson said the college is planning to build a trail system across its campus. Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas confirmed that and said the college is represented on a committee working to make the tunnel a reality.

Kalispell Parks Director Mike Baker said there is a trail on the west side of U.S. 93 from Kidsports south to Meridian Road. 

Another trail exists on the east side of U.S. 93 between the college and West Reserve Drive.

The city would like to build a 1.5-mile trail from Lawrence Park past the hospital to the college.

The city will begin planning and design work on that trail over the winter, Baker said. Whether or how much the city can build next year depends on how much federal Community Transportation Enhancement Funds the city gets, he said.

“It’s a very unique opportunity,” Baker said of the tunnel project. “This will be a catalyst to be able to get people to and from the area safely.”

The tunnel potentially could relieve some congestion on U.S. 93 in the spring, summer and fall when 30 fields at Kidsports are heavily used. People who live on the east side of U.S. 93 could walk or bike to the fields, he said.

Local activist Pete Skibsrud also would like to establish a trail from the city to Evergreen by placing a 140-foot portion of the Old Steel Bridge across the Stillwater River.

“We’re trying to figure out how to move it up by the college,” he said, noting his portion of the bridge still is sitting next to the Flathead River. Three other sections of the 1894-built bridge were sold to Chinese interests, Skibsrud said.

The idea for the tunnel goes back some 15 years. Doug Rauthe, who served as Kalispell mayor from 1990-98, said he promoted the concept and “felt it was the logical thing to do.” He called it a “team effort,” but isn’t sure whose idea it was originally.

“When they were redesigning the highway, there was some talk about creating a tunnel,” Rauthe said, but the interest was not there and funding was not available.

“Pete has kept rattling the cage. He’s been an activist to get that completed,” Rauthe said.

The sports fields at Kidsports became a reality during Rauthe’s mayoral stint. The city negotiated a lease with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and moved the fields from their old location near the airport on the city’s south side.

Kidsports was founded in 1996, said Dan Johns, a local attorney who helped lead that effort. A number of youth sports organizations are part of Kidsports, which leases 134 acres for $41,000 a year. Youth sports enrollment fees pay for the lease, Johns said. These sports include baseball, softball, soccer, football and cross country.

“The sports fields have blossomed beautifully,” Rauthe said.

Lynch will talk about the state transportation agency’s projects in the area as part of a Kalispell Chamber of Commerce panel discussion on Friday, Nov. 5, and at a work session of the Kalispell City Council on Monday, Nov. 8.

Reporter Caleb Soptelean may be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at csoptelean@dailyinterlake.com.