By Michael Howell
Officials from the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) were in Stevensville last week to discuss the proposed improvements to the Eastside Highway beginning just south of the traffic circle at Eight Mile Road and proceeding south almost to Stevensville. The meeting was held at the request of Paul Hayes who is spearheading the effort to have a shared use pathway and wildlife crossings installed as part of the project.
At a previous meeting held a couple of weeks ago at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, citizens expressed a strong interest in a pedestrian/bike path and in the installment of some wildlife crossings being added to the project. That meeting was sponsored by Bitterrooters for Planning. MDT officials were invited, but declined to attend. Officials said it was to give people a chance to have open discussions amongst themselves about their needs and desires. These could then later be submitted to the agency.
At the most recent meeting in Stevensville, Dwane Kailey and Shane Stack, from MDT’s engineering division, said the agency was aware of the interest in establishing some wildlife crossings and in installing a shared use path. The good news was that engineers were working on the pre-construction phase of the project to include some wildlife crossings. The bad news was that the plans still did not include construction of a shared use path. The silver lining is that, according to Kailey, the initial designs of the road base improvements include an easement for utilities that could accommodate a shared use path in the future.
The cost of the project was first projected at about $6 million. Then it ballooned into an $8 million budget. Kailey said a number of factors were involved besides the cost of construction. Construction of the path also increases the state’s liability. Add to this the cost of maintenance in perpetuity and it’s quite an undertaking. He said the fact that there was already a bike path along US Highway 93 through the valley also factors in.
“The fact is,” said Kailey, “that MDT has not received an increase in revenue since 1993 but costs have been going up substantially. We are strapped financially and we are doing a lot of belt tightening.”
State Representative Ed Greef said, “This community is concerned and involved and it’s important to work with the community.” Greef has been a strong advocate for construction of the path along Highway 93 and the benefits to public safety and the economy that are involved. He said he would like to see a path on the Eastside Highway for the same reasons.
Hayes submitted a notebook containing information such as traffic counts, fatality counts and statistics on automobile collisions with animals as well as a detailed summary of concerns and suggestions on specific aspects and portions of the traffic design.
He said after the meeting, “I think we got their attention and they have heard our concerns.” He said he was working with some nonprofit conservation organizations to see if they might want to contribute funds to help enhance the wildlife crossing under consideration. He said scientists from MPG Ranch had expressed a willingness to help identify current wildlife activity.
Details of the Eastside Highway project can be viewed at the Stevensville Main Street office.