'Carmageddon' starts in Whitefish

Patience, folks.

That’s the plea from Whitefish City Manager Chuck Stearns, who has been bracing motorists for weeks about the traffic congestion that began Monday in downtown Whitefish.

He’s calling it “Carmageddon, Whitefish-style.” Carmageddon was the term Los Angeles residents pegged on an epic traffic snarl this summer when a 10-mile stretch of LA freeway was closed between two of the nation’s busiest interchanges.

Whitefish isn’t LA, but it might feel like it to some motorists in the coming weeks.

Two big projects are now under way: the rebuilding of Second Street between Spokane and Baker avenues; and the reconstruction of First Street from the alley behind Casey’s Bar (which was torn down recently) to Baker Avenue. Add to that the reconstruction of the new Casey’s Bar and it’s a perfect storm for motorists.

“There was some confusion this morning,” Stearns admitted Monday. “I was directing traffic myself at the intersection of O’Brien” Avenue where it intersects with U.S. 93. because the detour didn’t work as anticipated.

After traffic began bottlenecking around 8 a.m. Monday, Stearns and other city officials did a walk-around with traffic control representatives at 10 a.m. to assess what improvements could be made. Some signs were in the wrong place, and additional signs will be put up.

“It was a rough beginning to a complex process,” Stearns said. “We’ve asked them to consider flaggers at key hours” such as the start and end of school days.

LHC Inc. is the general contractor for the Second Street/U.S. 93 project, and it was LHC’s decision to detour traffic onto First and Third Streets. It puts truck traffic — including logging trucks — on streets in older Whitefish neighborhoods including the historic Railway District.

“It was the contractor’s call not to sign” detours for Seventh Street and Karrow Avenue, Stearns said. Karrow Avenue is a natural bypass for U.S. 93; it runs north-south starting just east of the Whitefish Cemetery and ends at Blanchard Lake Road south of Whitefish. Stearns said he believes motorists will find their own ways around the construction.

“It’s complex and busy and will test people’s patience,” he said. “But tomorrow will go better than today.”

The construction of the pivotal intersection — U.S. 93 and Baker Avenue — should be done in a few weeks.

For now, southbound traffic on U.S. 93 is being rerouted for a block on O’Brien Avenue, two blocks on Third Street and then to Baker Avenue.

Northbound traffic is being rerouted onto First Street, to O’Brien Avenue and then to Second Street.

Detour routes will change throughout the project.

A temporary traffic light will be installed at the intersection of Baker Avenue and 13th Street by The Wave fitness center.

Construction on Second Street/U.S. 93 is expected to end in November and start up again next spring. Stearns said the city project, paid for with a $3.5 million federal stimulus grant, had to get started before December to adhere to the grant guidelines.

The other downtown project, the third phase of continuing street reconstruction, means access on First Street is blocked, though alleys are open in one-way directions.

Central Avenue dead-ends in temporary turn-arounds at First Street. Pedestrian access generally crosses First Street at the alleys, but may change depending upon construction needs, Stearns said.

The project will continue until late October or mid-November depending on weather and construction progress.

The streetscape project includes reconstruction of Central Avenue and portions of First and Third streets, with widened sidewalks and other amenities aimed at making the downtown more visitor-friendly. Construction has been done in phases in the fall and spring and will wrap up in the spring of 2012.

Resort-tax revenue is being used to pay for the roughly $5.5 million project.

Whitefish street project updates can be found at:  http://www.downtownwhitefish.info

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