U.S. 93 bypass

North prevails again

A Kalispell transportation committee maintained its recommendation to build the north half of the U.S. 93 bypass first, despite strong public support for the south half.

During a three-hour discussion Thursday, the Technical Advisory Committee clearly was sympathetic to recent public comments that favored the southern option.

However, it ultimately couldn't muster enough votes to change course.

Earlier this year, the advisory group - which oversees transportation improvements in the Kalispell area - recommended that a four-lane, limited-access bypass be built from the intersection of U.S. 93 and West Reserve Drive south to U.S. 2, near the west end of Appleway Drive.

This option would include a new loop road near the north end of the route, next to Glacier High School, as well as a two-lane extension from U.S. 2 to Foy's Lake Road.

The remainder of the bypass would be built whenever the money becomes available.

A motion to reconsider that recommendation failed Thursday on a 6-6 vote.

The final decision about which half of the bypass to build first rests with the Montana Department of Transportation. The agency could make a decision soon, after the close of a public comment period Aug. 3.

Support for the southern option was evident during a public meeting Wednesday at the Outlaw Inn.

About 60 people attended the event. Almost half spoke during a question-and-answer period, with comments running 3-1 in favor of building the southern half.

Several speakers suggested that the octopus-like design proposed at the intersection of U.S. 93 and West Reserve was untenable and needed further work. Others thought the numerical matrix used to rank the various phasing options was hopelessly subjective and skewed.

Most people, though, simply thought that the south half would do a better job of reducing traffic along Main Street than the north half.

"I have no problem with the ranking system you came up with or the goals and criteria you used," said downtown property owner Bill Goodman. "The problem is that you weighted all [13] criteria the same. But downtown traffic reduction isn't one-thirteenth of the problem; it's half the problem. You need to give it more weight."

The Technical Advisory Committee agreed with that concern Thursday and doubled the matrix weighting for that specific criterion.

However, that didn't change the rankings; the northern option still scored higher.

Dwane Kailey, district administrator for the Department of Transportation, said the advisory group was under no obligation to accept the outcome of the ranking matrix. If its members thought the south half should be the preferred option, based on public comment and other issues, then they were free to make that recommendation.

Some committee members obviously favored the south option, but others questioned whether it really would reduce truck traffic on Main Street.

There were also concerns that Meridian Road would become a de facto bypass if the south half were built first.

Tom Jentz, the advisory committee chairman and director of the Kalispell Planning Office, said there were merits to either phasing option.

"It's difficult to split the baby. That's the message that will be going forward," he said.

Although the committee didn't change its recommendation, it seemed to encourage the Department of Transportation to do so. The group unanimously requested that the agency take public comment into consideration before making a decision - something it had indicated that it intends to do.

"It would have been easy for us to just make the decision, but we wanted to make sure the community had a voice in the process," said Department of Transportation Director Jim Lynch, during Wednesday's public meeting.

"We know we're not going to please everyone," Lynch said. "But what I'm hoping is that we get the project started, there's tremendous community support, and that resonates in Washington, D.C., so our delegation understands the importance of bypass here and gets us the money to finish it."

Lynch also noted that the Federal Highway Administration recently signed off on the environmental impact study re-evaluation for the bypass - meaning the state has the authority to expend federal dollars on the project.

Copies of the re-evaluation will be posted online soon at www.kalispellbypass.com.

The Web site also has a link to submit comments about the bypass or which half of the route should be built first.

Reporter Bill Spence may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at bspence@dailyinterlake.com.