Kalispell to Apply for Grant to Fund U.S. Highway 93 Shared-use Path
The city approved a resolution to apply for a grant that would fund a sidewalk on the east side of U.S. 93 from Wyoming Street to Mission Trail
By Zoë Buhrmaster
The city approved a resolution on Monday to apply for a grant that would fund a shared-use path on Sunset Boulevard from downtown Kalispell to the healthcare complex at the top of the hill.
The proposed project would run up the east side of U.S. 93 from Wyoming Street to Mission Trail. The Montana Department of Transportation’s (MDT) Transportation Alternatives grant would provide funding for the total construction cost estimated at $648,000, requiring no funds from the city.
Jarod Nygren, the city of Kalispell’s development services director, said a separate part of the project, which is proposed further north, is notably more expensive because of retaining walls that would have to be put in, which is partly why he recommended prioritizing the southern end.
“The south part does at least get you past the golf course to Mission Trail, which does connect to the sidewalk system up past Emmanuel Lutheran,” Nygren said.
This is not the first time the city has attempted to build a pathway along the hill. At one point, the city had received a grant for the project but a request by the state to investigate other options blocked it from happening, City Manager Doug Russell said.
“Through further investigation it was requested that we look at other options related to this trail system,” Russell said. “We have since done that and came back to the same general layout that was initially before us.”
To construct the whole pathway, from Wyoming Street to Bountiful Drive, would cost an estimated $2.68 million, with the north portion alone costing about $2.08 million. With the MDT grant limit set at $1.5 million, the city would have to provide at least $1.18 million to fund the entire trail.
If the city receives the grant for the southern section, it could apply for the north section during the next Transportation Alternatives grant cycle, Nygren said.
The city has received grants from the MDT program before for trail segments along U.S. Highway 93, most recently at Four Mile Drive.
Resident Frank Holman shared his experience walking the existing dirt trail everyday while he worked for the hospital, raising the question of who would maintain an updated trail.
“When I used to walk that trail in the wintertime, I’d be above the fence, and the barbed wire would be at about here,” Holman said, motioning his hand just below the armpit. “So somebody’s going to have to maintain the trail at wintertime.”
Russell said as the city looks toward updating the budget in the coming months it’s something officials have to look into.
The resolution received unanimous support from the city council, with the next steps centering on the grant application.