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FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS
Federal Highway Funding In Limbo,
Threatening Delays for Kalispell Bypass
APRIL 1, 2015 | 13
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Local chamber of com- merce gathering support among business leaders for long-term funding
By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
The long-awaited Kalispell bypass is on track to be completed by the fall of 2017.
Or is it?
Local and state agencies have dia- grammed the final phases of construc- tion for the decades-long highway alter- nate route, but any progress is poised to run into a significant road block on May 31, when the nation’s multibillion-dollar infrastructure funding officially runs
out.Congress is preparing to address the challenging issue of how to pay for America’s massive transportation needs. Finding common ground on any topic has proven difficult in this divisive political climate, but solving this one remains especially hard because of the complexity and enormity of the situa- tion.
The Highway Trust Fund, which is the main funding mechanism for Amer- ica’s roads, bridges and other infrastruc- ture, is drying up and failing to cover the current highway spending levels. The fund gains revenues from federal gas taxes.
The so-called Highway Bill, which includes the management plan for the trust fund, has always been a difficult piece of legislation to approve. Previ- ous bills have called for $11 billion to $50 billion a year in federal dollars that are doled out to states. Roughly 87 percent ofhighwayconstructionmoneyinMon- tana comes from the federal govern- ment. Montana received $392 million in federal funding in fiscal year 2014.
The U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives have struggled to agree on a long-term solution, instead passing short-term bills that maintain flat fund- ing levels.
Faced with stalled construction projects across the U.S., lawmakers are trying to find a solution, with reports of a bipartisan effort to craft legislation that would target $170 billion in new revenue over six years.
In Kalispell, the local chamber of commerce is rallying support among business leaders to urge lawmakers to pass a comprehensive Highway Bill. Last week’s luncheon focused on the topic with a panel of state, local and private interests discussing its importance.
The state Department of Transpor- tation has received only two-thirds of its federal funding through May 31, ac- cording to Lynn Zanto, an administra-
co
Construction crews work to install concrete storm drainage pipe near the intersection of Appleway Drive and U.S. Highway 2 as part of the southern section of the U.S. Highway 93 Alternate Route. BEACON FILE PHOTO
tor with MDT. In 2014, MDT awarded $359 million for 132 projects statewide. Since the state has already made plans for projects through May, this means MDT officials are making contingency plans to find the remaining funding for these projects in case the Highway Bill fails. This could also impact the next set of projects that are scheduled to break ground in the coming year, Zanto said.
MDT officials estimate the state will have $15.8 billion in transportation needs over the next decade, everything from deteriorating roads to long overdue highway projects, including the South Fork Flathead River bridge replacement.
The fate of federal funding could im- pact more than just the bypass. City offi- cials from Kalispell visited Washington D.C. last week gathering information and lobbying for support for a federal transportation grant that would help fund the industrial rail park off White- fish Stage Road. The city has teamed up with Flathead County Economic Devel- opment Authority to develop the Glacier Rail Park, a 40-acre rail-served indus- trial park that is being developed. FCE- DA and the city have fallen short the past two years but hope the third time will be the charm. The federal grant, the Transportation Investment Generat- ing Economic Recovery (TIGER), is re- authorized through the highway bill. It would provide a noticeable boost to the industrial park and the city’s Core Area Revitalization Plan, which includes re- moving the railroad tracks through downtown.
“We consider the health of the High- way Bill and the funding of our bypass
along with the transportation TIGER grant for infrastructure for the Glacier Rail Park to be our top federal priori- ties,” Chamber President Joe Unterrein- er told the crowd at last week’s luncheon.
After decades of work, the final phas- es of the bypass are designed and ready to go. The proposed roadway will con- struct four travel lanes and provide the final connection of the eight-mile route for traffic traveling from north to south of Kalispell with grade-separated inter- changes at U.S. Highway 2, Three Mile Drive, Four Mile Drive and Old Reserve Drive (formerly Reserve Loop). The re- sulting phases are estimated to cost $36.6 million.
Construction is slated to commence this spring and summer.
“We can’t afford to let funding slip and we can’t afford to let time slip,” Ka- lispell Planning Director Tom Jentz said.
The dearth of federal funds could hurt private businesses, including con- tractors and engineers that tackle proj- ects such as the bypass.
The final phases of the bypass could employ up to 150 people through con- struction jobs and general contracting, Jeff Claridge with LHC said.
“These are not low-paying jobs,” Claridge said.
The trickle effect of a project that size would impact hotels, restaurants and retail locations, he said.
“This is going to be an incredible project,” Claridge said. “It will really, re- ally have a positive impact on our econ- omy.”
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“WE CAN’T AFFORD TO LET FUNDING SLIP AND WE CAN’T AFFORD TO LET TIME SLIP.” Tom Jentz
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