Crews hustled in October taking advantage of a bout of good weather to complete projects around town. Projects included new stop light installations, bike trails, and sewer lines.
Drivers roaring north on Highway 93 toward Whitefish will find a new stop light after passing the Highway 40 junction. Wednesday, traffic slowed at the south end of the Whitefish strip as road crews installed the new four-way traffic lights. The lights permit easier turning onto JP Road and Ridgecrest. The stop also aids access to North Valley Hospital and adjacent medical-dental businesses.
The Fish Trail system, funded by a federal $3 million earmark, grew larger with three more segments this month. Crews added to the local bike trail complex by completing a two-block fragment on Second Street. The paved trail, picking up where the eastern sidewalk ends, crosses a stream and connects with Armory Road. The addition of the trail improves safety for pedestrians and bicyclists heading up Armory to the skateboard park.
This week, crews finished another bike trail spur on East Edgewood Drive. The spur links Wisconsin Avenue with Colorado and Texas Avenues. It also connects with pedestrian lanes over the viaduct and the bike trail bordering Edgewood Place that hooks up with routes to City Beach.
A third piece of the bike trail complex, known as Rocksund Monegan Trail, is roughed in along the Whitefish River. Karin Hilding, senior project engineer with the City of Whitefish, said that crews will start bringing in gravel, installing lights, and building the bridge across the river, but most likely will not get the segment paved until spring. “It’ll take kids to the soccer fields,” explained Hilding. “It’ll be great for those people who want to ski to work at the hospital.”
This week, crews began installation of an additional sewer line along Wisconsin Avenue. Hilding explained that the line is intended to handle sewage from the Viking station during large rain events.