Page 19 - Flathead Beacon // 10.12.16

KALISPELL BYPASS PHASES
KALISPELL
BYPASS - 2 LANES
SOUTH PHASE
COMPLETED 2010
N
MAP NOT TO SCALE
HISTORY OF THE ALTERNATE ROUTE
JUNE 1953
Scott P. Hart, a state highway engineer, writes a letter to the city of Kalispell explaining that the chances of building a bypass road from Four Cor- ners on U.S. Highway 93 to a connection with U.S. Highway 2 “are not very encouraging.” The Flathead County Commissioners had lobbied for the priority construction of secondary roads from south to north to eliminate truck tra c down Main Street in Kalispell. Hart says in his letter that the proposed bypass could cost an estimated $200,000, equiv- alent to roughly $1.8 million in today’s dollars after adjusting for in ation, far greater than the state and federal funds that are available.
JULY 1953
1997
Properties along the proposed bypass route be- gin to be purchased using funds earmarked by U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, who secured a 60 percent increase in Montana’s share of highway dollars, leading to $1.2 billion in new investment across the state.
2004
MDT re-evaluates the Kalispell bypass and be- gins preliminary design. The bypass is estimated to cost $28 million and would route from U.S. 93 south of town, crossing U.S. 2 west of Kalispell and rejoining U.S. 93 from West Reserve Drive north of town. The agency holds a kicko meeting with residents to familiarize them with the project.
2007
MDT funds construction of Reserve Loop, a 1.2- mile stretch of road that connects U.S. 93 around the newly developed Glacier High School to Still- water Road. The project is technically the rst portion of the bypass and includes the area’s rst modern roundabout at Stillwater.
2008
Unable to fund construction of the entire bypass, MDT compromises and decides to fund the de- velopment of a pared-down south portion, which goes from four lanes with bridges to two lanes and roundabouts.
FALL 2010
The south portion of bypass from U.S. 93 South to U.S. 2 South is completed at a cost of $34 mil- lion using funds that were secured by Montana’s Congressional delegation, including U.S. Sen. Jon Tester.
2012
The Hutton Ranch road extension is completed, providing a two-lane roadway with a roundabout o East Reserve. Two new signals are installed on West Reserve Drive and on Hutton Ranch Road.
2013
The segment of Reserve Loop to U.S. 93 is com- pleted with four-lane roads and a separated bike path along the bypass and Old Reserve Drive.
2014
The Three Mile Drive reconstruction is completed with a new bridge over the future north section of bypass.
OCT. 12, 2015
LHC, a Kalispell-based contractor, breaks ground on the nal phase of the bypass. “Today we are participants and witnesses to one of those de n- ing moments in time that will be one of the most transformational events for our community since the railroad gave birth to our town in 1892,” Ka- lispell Mayor Mark Johnson tells a crowd gath- ered at a groundbreaking ceremony. Over $100 million had already been poured into the project, and the nal contract, awarded to LHC at nearly $34 million, was the largest single transportation contract in the state’s history. The agency com- bined the nal three phases of construction into one contract to expedite construction, and in the process saved an estimated $9 million, according to state transportation o cials.
FALL 2016
The north section is nished, marking the com- pletion of the entire bypass, which is the largest single transportation project in Montana history.
Flathead County Commissioners organize a meeting with the State Highway Department and Kalispell City Council to seek immediate action in pursuing a truck route around Kalispell. As then-Kalispell City Council President R.M. Leslie says, this is a long-discussed project dating back more than 10 years yet no action has been taken to consider building a new bypass. Leslie delivers a letter to state o cials explaining the tra c problems and “immediate dangers resulting from heavy truck tra c through Kalispell.”
JAN. 1, 1967
In a guest editorial published in the Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell Mayor Thomas Flynn predicts that a new bypass for heavy truck tra c will be built by 1975.
1972
At a public meeting hosted by the Kalispell City Council, residents debate whether the future bypass should be routed on the east side or west side of town. An initial proposal was to build a new highway along Willow Glen, which drew op- position from residents in that neighborhood, or a new route along the Burlington Northern rail on the west side, which drew similar neighborhood opposition. There is, however, consensus among residents that a bypass is necessary, despite con- cerns voiced by Kalispell councilor Forrest Daley that a bypass “might injure the downtown area economically,” according to a story published in the Daily Inter Lake on May 11.
1992
The Montana Department of Transportation pro- poses a large redevelopment of U.S. Highway 93 from Somers to White sh, including expanding the highway throughout Kalispell. The propos- al draws local opposition and reinvigorates the long-discussed bypass. A local advisory commit- tee is formed to explore options for Kalispell.
OCTOBER 1993
With the urging of the city council and downtown businesses, the Kalispell Transportation Plan and Bypass Feasibility Study issues a recommenda- tion to build a west-side bypass around Kalispell. The recommendation comes after planners stud- ied the east-side route, which would displace sev- eral residents along Willow Glen while also facing environmental challenges, such as water issues along the route.
1994
The state highway department approves the west- ern bypass.
1996
The Department of Transportation begins design- ing the bypass alignment but does not identify it as a priority project for funding.
Commerce gathered signatures and sent a bus full of residents to Helena to con- vince the state’s transportation board to label the remaining section of bypass as a state priority. It was a success, and within two years the largest single transporta- tion contract in Montana history — $34 million — was awarded to LHC, a local company.
LHC crews broke ground last Octo- ber, building the nal 3.1 miles of road- way with sound walls and ve bridges. Four Mile Drive, funded through a part- nership with the City of Kalispell, is also completed to Stillwater, allowing a new entrance and exit to Kidsports Complex.
“It’s a success story. It doesn’t get much better,” Jentz said. “There are so many things happening now in Kalispell because of what the bypass has done for us as a community. I questioned whether I would see it completed in my profes- sional career.”
Now that Kalispell’s great wish has nally come to fruition, some concerns are lingering about rerouting tra c around Main Street.
“There’s some fear,” Kasee Braun, who owns Mystique Fly Shop with her
husband, Tim, and father-in-law, Jim. “There’s a little fear that tra c will be diverted away, but I think a lot of people
will still pass through Kalispell.”
Others are optimistic that the bypass will help transform Main Street back to its original character as a pedestrian friendly destination and vibrant heart of
the city.
“I think this will be a really positive
change for downtown,” Vonnie Day, who owns Hop’s Downtown Grille, which opened on Main Street 20 years ago, with her husband, Doug. “It’s the beginning of what’s going to blossom downtown.”
Someday, when the south half is built to four lanes with interchanges, the total cost will be in the range of $160 million. There is no timeframe established for when that will happen.
Regardless, the bypass is complete, a historic milestone for Kalispell and the Flathead Valley.
Pam Carbonari, Kalispell’s former mayor and the executive director of the Kalispell Downtown Association, said, “It’s a time for our community to cele- bratewithoutadoubt.”
dtabish@ atheadbeacon.com
OCTOBER 12, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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WEST RESERVE WEST RESERVE
GLACIER HIGH SCHOOL
KALISPELL
BYPASS - 4 LANES
NORTH PHASE
COMPLETED 2016