Proposed Bell Crossing roundabout draws concerns

by John Dowd

The Bell Crossing Roundabout project proposed for the intersection of Hwy 93 and Bell Crossing, has been a controversial project from the outset. However, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is making efforts to communicate with the Bitterroot community. With help from Big Sky Public Relations, MDT hopes to alleviate public concerns.

“We’re engineers and road builders,” said Bob Vosen, District Administrator, “not public relations folks.” He has been involved in the communication campaign for the Bell Crossing Roundabout project since its start. 

MDT has been reaching out to the public through a series of “open houses,” which the public is encouraged to attend. “We want to engage the public,” said Vosen. He understands that the general public is “not crazy about the idea of a roundabout,” but he and others with MDT believe it is the best option for that intersection. These meetings are meant as more than just a way to tell the public the plan. MDT hopes to gather feedback from the communities affected by the project and to hear their concerns before they move forward. 

According to Vosen, they want to hear about specific concerns they can address, or “actionable items.” Vosen said their number one concern is “building a roundabout that best serves the needs of its location.”

When asked why that location, Vosen explained that there are several areas of concern in the Bitterroot, but that intersection in particular has garnered a lot of public concern. Vosen added that several groups have contacted MDT about that intersection. 

One such party that believes they are the ones who got the ball rolling is Ravalli Electric Cooperative (REC) which is located at the southwest corner of the intersection, with access off Bell Crossing West. Specifically, REC CEO and General Manager, Mark Grotbo, had a lot to say about the intersection. Grotbo was the one who reached out on behalf of the Co-op to get something done. However, he is very against the idea of a roundabout. Grotbo suggested a stoplight in that location as far back as 2017, and said he has been reaching out consistently to MDT to work with them and to get something done. He says he has yet to hear much back from them.  

Grotbo said MDT finally decided to hold a speed study that ran through that intersection which found that the area did indeed warrant something. Grotbo believes that would be an understatement, as just in the last year or so there has been one fatal crash, and on another occasion, one of his employees pulled someone from a flaming crash. According to Grotbo, MDT said they would reach back out to him after that, but he was never contacted again. “They have just not been very responsive,” said Grotbo. Grotbo’s main concerns about the plan for a roundabout come down to cost, time and effectiveness. As Grotbo put it, he believes it may be more expensive to put in a roundabout instead of a traffic light. He also believes that it will take much longer to construct and it may inhibit truck traffic, which would directly affect REC’s business. He also worries about traffic being pushed onto Eastside Highway and what utilizing such a roundabout, especially one built big enough to work with large trucks, would look like during severe fog and ice, which he says are common at that intersection. 

According to Vosen, most of the concerns cited by Grotbo are common concerns MDT has seen. Vosen says that MDT is looking 20 years ahead, trying to build something that does the best job of limiting traffic delays as traffic volume grows over time. “We really want to do what’s best for the area,” said Vosen. “We take that very seriously.”

Currently, MDT has numerous projects across the state, and funding is limited. According to Vosen, nearly 87% of the funding for road work on Montana highways comes from federal dollars. This is unusual for many states, as is the fact that Montana sees a lot of return on the money it gives in taxes for road work. This can be several times the amount the state puts in, unlike places like California, which may only see cents on the dollar return. However, this still is a shortfall compared to the work that must be done. Because of this, “MDT is hypersensitive to what gives us the best bang for our buck,” said Vosen.

Vosen believes a roundabout would save money over the long term. According to him, signals seem to lose their effectiveness around 20 years or earlier, depending on how traffic has grown. These systems also need to be updated and reprogrammed to suit the current situation, which adds more cost over time. 

He also stated that there are several things many people are not aware of when it comes to stoplights. He has found that traffic loses seconds that cannot be recovered, no matter how efficient a light can be. This is due to the time that the entire intersection must be in “red light,” so that it can clear before the change. This may not seem like a lot of time, but when traffic gets bad, and many cars need to move through an intersection, this time can add up and cause “bumper to bumper.” 

When comparing this to a roundabout, Vosen said, “roundabouts never have that dead time,” and they constantly keep drivers moving through the intersection. 

According to statistics put out by Washington County, Minnesota, where numerous roundabouts were studied, they found that roundabouts were often less expensive. This was because, when built correctly, due to limiting the need for constructing numerous approach and turn lanes, roundabouts were nearly $1 million less than traditional stoplight systems in comparable intersections. 

As for trucks in roundabouts, Vosen said trucks have very little difficulty navigating them as they are designed with all users in mind. According to Vosen, “The data shows that a roundabout is the best solution for this intersection.” 

However, Vosen also said roundabouts definitely are not for every intersection. Vosen said traffic lights can lead to a lot more rear end crashes. However, in traffic light set-ups, intersections can be more efficient in very heavy traffic, allowing vehicles to get up to speed when their light is green, and will keep vehicles from shuffling through one at a time. Lights are also better in urban areas where sightlines are disrupted. 

Grotbo would still prefer a light, and would even have offered to help pay for the project. They had the ability to justify doing this in their business plan when they recently upgraded their building. However, having never heard back, Grotbo is frustrated about the project. “The people making the decisions aren’t in the Bitterroot Valley,” added Grotbo. 

When speaking about the open houses, Vosen said they have a lot of educational material for the public to look over. The first of these meetings was held last week. The public will have two more chances to meet with MDT and to get more information about the roundabout project on 93 and Bell Crossing. The next meeting will be held Wednesday, August 14 from noon to 6 p.m. After that, the last open house will be Thursday, Aug. 29 from 2 to 8 p.m. All of these open houses will be held at the Stevensville High School library, located at 300 Park Avenue, Stevensville. 

In attendance at the open houses will be several MDT engineers, including Vosen and others. They will be joined by Becca Maclean, an account manager with Big Sky Public Relations for this MDT project. 

The open houses will have no formal presentation, and will include displays showcasing roundabouts and how MDT plans to use one at the Hwy 93 and Bell Crossing intersection. MDT also wants to get written and verbal feedback from attendees, but say the written feedback is easier to act upon. 

Maclean transcribes all the written responses and gives them to MDT to utilize and act upon. According to her, the responses were pretty balanced on both sides. Including written and verbal communication with the public, Maclean said many of the concerns came down to how a roundabout is actually used as well as speed limits involved and how trucks could use them. “We highly encourage folks to come to one of the next two meetings,” said Maclean. She added that they really care about what people have to say. 

As for attendance at the first open house, Maclean said they actually had a good turnout. Vosen agreed, saying the meetings seemed well attended by the public. There were people in favor of and people against the project, as well as many in the middle just looking for more information about it. According to Maclean, they saw around 60 people throughout the day, which she considered a success. 

When asked about the many questions the public has over these roundabouts, Vosen said, “Hopefully we are able to answer some of those.”

According to Vosen, it is hard to estimate the exact date they would break ground on the project, but he expects it will go out to bid in the fall. If this goes as planned, a project design team will work with the builder to go through the design phase, which would take place over the next several months. If all of this happens in expected time, the project will take place next summer. However, “that may be a little optimistic,” said Vosen.

For more information about the Hwy 93 and Bell Crossing Roundabout project, interested parties can contact the project hotline, (406) 207-4484, or email Maclean at becca@bigskypublicrelations.com. The project can also be found on the MDT website, www.mdt.mt.gov.