Rose Crossing safety project completed

A safety improvement project to adjust a troublesome 90-degree turn on Rose Crossing near Kalispell has been completed, except for hydroseeding in the road right of way that will happen this fall.

The county spent nearly $400,000 on the project, including engineering and construction costs.

Flathead County Public Works Director Dave Prunty credited landowners in the Rose Cross neighborhood for helping bring the project to completion.

“All the landowners just made this come together wonderfully,” Prunty said. “The 60-foot easement was donated by Ray Thompson; without that it would’ve been a real struggle.”

The county also worked with other property owners to get the access needed to complete the work, Prunty said. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks also was part of the discussion because of the access to Pine Grove Fishing Pond.

The sharp 90-degree curve had been a source of neighborhood frustration for several years, and three years ago Debbie Street, who lives near the corner, began a concerted effort to persuade the county to get the road corrected. The curve, near Rose Bud Lane, was especially hazardous during the winter months when the road was ice-covered.

“This was a very successful improvement to that sharp curve,” Prunty said. “Now, as you’re headed down the hill after you’ve negotiated the curve, the hill is still shaded but you don’t have that very sharp 90. This radius curve is a much better road design to help you through those types of sharp corners.”

Thompson’s granting of the easement allowed the county to construct a turn with a 250-foot radius. The Thompson family also requested a bern be erected along the turn to further divide the road and traffic from their property. The berm also is a signal to drivers, particularly those traveling at night, that they are approaching a curve and should slow down, Ryan Mitchell with Robert Peccia and Associates, told the commissioners during a presentation in August 2020.

Traffic on Rose Crossing has increased considerably in recent years as drivers seek an alternative other than the congested West Reserve Drive as an east-west connector between U.S. 93 and U.S. 2.

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