Traffic review targets East Oregon Street
Kalispell City Hall is seen at the corner of First Avenue East and Second Street East in this July 21, 2021, file photo. (Chad Sokol/Daily Inter Lake)
Traffic changes could be coming to Kalispell after a discussion Monday at a City Council work session.
The city is set for a periodic review of its “traffic calming” process, which covers intersection controls, speeding, parking and pedestrian accommodations. Based on the conversation Monday evening, the city could eventually add stop signs or make other traffic changes on local roadways.
According to the agenda for Monday’s work session, the Kalispell Public Works Department regularly receives correspondence from citizens concerned about driving speeds in various areas of the city. Public Works logs all of these notes and reviews them based on the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
Since 1971, the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices has set criteria for determining the need for traffic control devices on all streets and highways open to public travel in each state.
On Monday, city staff will go over these standards and its process for reviewing requests.
Although the council does not make any formal decisions during work sessions like the one scheduled for Monday, the city will look at possibilities for future traffic changes.
City staff will review traffic changes that are included as part of the Move 2040 Transportation Plan that was implemented earlier this year to overhaul Kalispell’s transportation infrastructure. Move 2040 suggests approximately 90 traffic changes that could be made to local roads and intersections in the next 20 years.
Public Works will also go over potential additional traffic changes that could be put into place in response to recent requests from the community.
The work session agenda identifies East Oregon Street, between Whitefish Stage Road to U.S. 93 North, as an area with high potential for traffic changes because of “continuous excess speeding” recorded along that corridor.
The Public Works presentation on Monday will address costs and funding for traffic calming installations, community buy-in requirements, and possibilities for constructing new roundabouts to address speed concerns.
The work session is open to the public and starts at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 201 First Avenue East.
Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 406-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.