Study outlines N.F. Road options
Only additional grading and stabilization treatments for the North Fork Road have broad public support, according to a recently completed study of the road corridor.
The North Fork Flathead Road Corridor Study does not recommend a specific project for the road, but instead focuses on improvement options.
Implementation would depend on funding, which currently doesn’t exist, according to the study and Flathead County Commissioner Jim Dupont.
The study covered a 13.2-mile section of the North Fork Road that stretches north of Columbia Falls from Blankenship Road to Camas Road. The North Fork Road serves as an access to Polebridge and two western entrances to Glacier National Park.
The recommended options for further consideration included no action, which would maintain the road in its present condition with grading twice a year and dust control.
However, dust and maintenance continue to be a “serious problem” on the road, the study concluded. Many members of the public stated that if they could not have their preferred option, such as paving or no paving, they would prefer better maintenance and dust abatement.
Other improvement options beyond routine maintenance include: additional grading; stabilization treatments such as magnesium or calcium chloride, lignin, RoadOyl or SoftSement; installation of driving surface aggregate; solar-powered speed indicator signs, police car with dummy, additional signs (safety or speed limit), additional law enforcement, educational efforts to reduce speeds; pavement with a 24-foot width and 11-foot travel ways, millings/asphalt with chip seal, and foamed asphalt mix with double shot.
Due to the small tax base in the corridor study area, Flathead County has concerns about its financial ability to maintain the gravel road. The county Roads and Bridges Department spends more on maintenance than it gets in revenue from corridor area taxpayers, the study found.
The request for the study came from Flathead County in response to numerous concerns from residents.
The study was conducted by PB Americas Inc. of Murray, Utah, in conjunction with Flathead County and the Montana Department of Transportation.