Traffic-flow options outlined for Courthouse couplet

Eight options for routing U.S. 93 traffic around the Flathead County Courthouse will be presented at a public meeting Tuesday.

Rerouting the highway to the east side of the Courthouse is not among improvement alternatives, but that remains an option as the design phase of the U.S. 93 couplet rebuild moves forward, said Ed Toavs, district administrator for the Montana Department of Transportation.

The state Department of Transportation will hold an informational meeting on Tuesday, June 28, in Ballroom A of the Red Lion Hotel Kalispell. An open house begins at 4 p.m. with a presentation at 6 p.m. Project team members will be available for discussion and questions before and after the presentation.

“This modeling exercise is only intended to demonstrate the performance of four lanes of traffic around the courthouse or two lanes,” Toavs said. “It does not specifically address location of the lanes; that would be a future discussion in the design phase. Any of those options [such as the eastside route] can be discussed and vetted.”

Two years ago the state said it would consider an eastern route around the courthouse as it finalized the rebuild around the courthouse. State highway officials acknowledged, however, that obtaining the needed property and right of way to reroute the highway to the east could be costly.

Flathead County commissioners continue to favor shifting all four lanes of U.S. 93 east of the courthouse to create a pedestrian-friendly county campus.

“They’ve indicated they want to give serious consideration to the eastside route,” county Administrator Mike Pence said Wednesday.

A traffic analysis recently conducted by Robert Peccia and Associates examined eight alternative route scenarios.

“The intent of this preliminary phase is to determine the final roadway configuration, identify traffic operational and safety issues, and collaborate with the local governments and the public,” Department of Transportation spokeswoman Lori Ryan said.

The preliminary phase is intended to identify final lane use and other geometric recommendations, complete the traffic analysis necessary for advancing the project and consider other Main Street improvements through the study area from Seventh to 13th Street.

The existing configuration of the couplet results in a “pinch point” where roadway capacity on U.S. 93 in the vicinity of the Courthouse is reduced to one lane of traffic each way for a short segment.

Each of the eight alternatives assumes the U.S. 93 bypass is fully built and operational.

The alternatives include:

1. A “no action” scenario. This alternative establishes a baseline for comparing each alternative. No changes were made to the existing transportation network under this alternative, other than completion of the bypass.

2. Establishing a uniform roadway configuration on Main Street through downtown Kalispell. The configuration would include one travel lane in each direction and center lanes at major intersections. Main Street would have two fewer through travel lanes through the downtown area than it presently does.

3. Providing two travel lanes in each direction north of 13th Street East. Also included would be center lanes at major intersections. This alternative reflects the preferred alternative identified in the 1994 U.S. 93 Somers to Whitefish West Final Environmental Impact Statement.

4. Establishing the same roadway section for U.S. 93 as Alternative 2 – one travel lane in each direction and a center lane at major intersections – and changing First Avenues East and West to a one-way couplet. First Avenue East would include two northbound lanes and First Avenue West would include two southbound lanes. Center Street and 12th Street East would be enhanced to accommodate the additional traffic accessing the one-way roads.

5. Configuring U.S. 93 as a one-way road with three southbound lanes between 13th Street East and Center Street. To accommodate northbound traffic, First Avenue East would be configured as a one-way northbound road with two travel lanes between Main Street and Center Street.

6. Making U.S. 93 and First Avenue West into a one-way couplet. U.S. 93 would accommodate three northbound lanes while First Avenue West would have two southbound lanes.

7. Providing improvements to Willow Glen Drive to increase capacity. A center lane at major intersections would be added to improve traffic operations on Willow Glen. In addition, a new connection would be made at the intersection of U.S. 2 and Montana 35. No changes were included to the U.S. 93/Main Street corridor under this alternative.

8. Combining the improvements included with Alternatives 2 and 7. Capacity would be increased on Willow Glen Drive, a new connection to U.S. 2/Montana 35 would be made, and the U.S. 93/Main Street corridor would be modified to include one travel lane in each direction.

More information on the project is available at www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/kalispellcourt.

Community participation is encouraged. Opinion, comments and concerns may also be submitted in writing at the meeting; by mail to Ed Toavs, Missoula District Administrator, MDT Missoula District office, P.O. 7039, Missoula, MT 59807-7039; or online at:

www.mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml.

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