Potential contractors get input on bypass redesign

The process to remove a roundabout is anything but straightforward, but the Montana Department of Transportation took a step closer to taking out the Foy’s Lake Roundabout Tuesday at a listening session with three potential contractor teams for the project.

The Department of Transportation and city of Kalispell are using a Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant to remove the roundabout and redesign the intersection at Foy’s Lake Road and the U.S. 93 Alternate Route. In this streamlined process, a team of designers and builders is selected at the same time.

The state currently has a short list of three potential teams, and the contract will be awarded at the end of June. Design-build teams will be considered based on experience, proposals for the redesign and the cost-effectiveness of plans.

The team of Schellinger Construction/Frontier West, LLC./Morrison-Maierle is currently in first place in the state’s consideration. Graham Contracting Ltd./AECOM Technical Services, Inc. are in second place and LHC Inc./KLJ, Inc. are in third.

The future configuration of the intersection is yet to be determined and will ultimately be up to the contractor team selected for the project. On Tuesday, representatives from each of the three teams met with community members to hear their ideas for the interchange and share their perspective on why they feel their approach is the best one. This is the first time the Department of Transportation has used this process to decide on construction plans.

Turnout was minimal at the Tuesday morning event, but all of the teams said their most significant piece of feedback from the community has been excitement that the roundabout will be removed.

“People want the roundabout gone,” said Jim Mitchell with LHC. “I think that’s the biggest thing.”

Jim Soukup with AECOM agreed. “They do have an application,” Soukup said of the unpopular roundabout design. “But to have one on a major thoroughfare like [U.S. 93 Alternate]…is sketchy.”

The other main piece of input contractors said they received at the event was concern that removing the roundabout could increase the noise from the highway, since drivers will no longer have to slow down at the intersection.

State highway officials pointed out a sound analysis is required as part of the project to determine whether sound barriers should be constructed there.

Other than this feedback, Soukup said they have heard “no strong opinions” from the community about the future of the roundabout.

Kyle Schellinger with Schellinger Construction said they have “quite a few options” to redesign the interchange if they are awarded the contract.

The official decision on the intersection is still a few months away, but Schellinger said their team will focus on implementing “what’s best for the traveling public” as well as whatever is cheapest, quickest and least disruptive to traffic during the busy tourist season.

He added Schellinger brings “local experience and local knowledge” to the project, which he believes sets their team apart.

Meanwhile, Soukup with AECOM said their approach would focus on addressing the traffic flows that are likely to increase on the bypass, pedestrian crossing at the intersection, building the new interchange as quickly as possible and minimizing impacts to the traveling public.

And Mitchell with LHC said, “We’re going to build the highest-quality, most functional [project] with the least disturbance to the traveling public.”

He said LHC has built the “majority of projects on the bypass to date,” so “we feel we have a good understanding of the issues and the stakeholders.”

Once a contractor is selected, construction could start this fall.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at bserbin@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.