Whitefish council tangled in curb conundrum

Deciding what kind of curbs to install at the busy Baker Avenue intersection with U.S. 93 was a tall order for the Whitefish City Council on Monday, but after two hours of discussion and two votes the council opted for street-level ramps at the crosswalks.

The decision goes against a Federal Highway Administration recommendation for traditional perpendicular curbs that it maintains are better designed to keep trucks from clipping corners and running over sidewalks.

The Baker Avenue intersection is tight for larger trucks to negotiate, with American Bank close to the street on the west side and Whitefish City Hall on the east side.

Jeremy Keene, the principal engineer for WGM Group, which designed the upcoming U.S. 93 rebuild through downtown Whitefish, said designing an intersection that’s both pedestrian-friendly and amenable to truck traffic has been a challenge.

While the federal recommendation is for perpendicular curb cuts, the Heart of Whitefish downtown group pushed for the street-level, or “depressed” curbs to provide continuity with other intersections being rebuilt downtown. Whitefish is using a $3.5 million TIGER grant to pay for the highway rebuild that is expected to begin in mid-September.

There could be a construction cost overrun of as much as $283,000, but a 10 percent contingency fund should cover most of the overrun.

After a public hearing at the last council meeting, the council agreed to pay for half of a visit from consultants George Crandall and Don Arambula, who developed the downtown master plan, to have them weigh in on the design. The consultants favored the depressed curbs for the consistency in the overall design.

Several Heart of Whitefish members testified at Monday’s hearing in favor of the depressed curbs. Chris Schustrom pointed out this federal highway project is different than many other highway projects that are designed for vehicles traveling at higher speeds.

The council signed off on a number of other design tweaks such as widening sidewalks three feet into the landscaping at the Spokane Avenue intersection to allow extra turning width.

But some council members were leery of the street-level curbs at the Baker Avenue intersection. Chris Hyatt recounted how his 3-year-old child stepped into the street at the new street-level intersection at Central and Third Street, not knowing where the curb ended and the street began. It’s a safety issue, he said.

Council member Turner Askew said “it’s preposterous to think trucks won’t be up on the ramps.” He said he has a nephew who uses a wheelchair and maintained it’s more difficult for wheelchairs to use the slanted entry-level curbs than it is to use the traditionally designed Americans with Disabilities Act curb cuts.

When a vote to oppose the street-level ramps was tied 2-2, Mayor Mike Jenson broke the tie in favor of the ramps. A subsequent vote favoring the street-level ramps passed 3-1, with Askew in opposition. Council members Ryan Friel and Bill Kahle were absent.

Jenson noted the depressed curbs do conform to ADA standards and that with the design changes to accommodate trucks, larger vehicles should be able to negotiate the corners.

“Consistency is pretty important,” Jenson said about the overall design.

City officials suggested bollards — short vertical posts — could offer a measure of protection for pedestrians, but neither the council nor the mayor embraced that idea.

“I’m not a fan of bollards,” Jenson said.

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