County commissioners oppose roundabout

by Michael Howell

The Ravalli County Commissioners approved a motion on Monday, September 30 to send a letter to Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) expressing the county’s opposition to the plan to build a roundabout on Highway 93 at Bell Crossing Road north of Victor.

MDT identified a two-lane roundabout as “the ideal alternative for this intersection due to its safety benefits” early this year and then hosted three open house meetings in July and August to get feedback and educate the public about its decision. 

“MDT staff heard, read, and have given great thought to your questions, comments, and concerns,” it stated on their website afterward, but as a matter of fact the decision was already made. (https://mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/bellcrossing/)

No one from the Department attended the commissioners’ meeting on Monday and District Administrator Bob Vosen was not available for comment on Thursday or Friday. But the agency explains in the Frequently Asked Questions posted online, “MDT seeks and considers public input on transportation projects, but voting is not part of the public involvement process. A crash trend was identified at the Bell Crossing intersection. MDT analyzed why crashes are occurring, crash severity, and solutions to best address these findings. When MDT had this information about the Bell Crossing intersection, we began providing the roundabout design as the best safety solution. In some planning projects, where multiple safe solutions are possible, we can consider community preferences. For this location there is only one design solution that best addresses safety to avoid T-bone (right angle) crashes and serious injury crashes.” 

“Safety is our top priority and the primary reason a roundabout was selected,” said Becca MacLean, of Big Sky Public Relations on behalf of MDT. “Roundabouts are a safer alternative to traditional stop signs or signal-controlled intersections. Roundabouts reduce fatal crashes by about 90%, injury crashes by 75%, and overall crashes by 37%.” 

“This largely happens because you can’t run a roundabout like you can run a red light at a traffic signal,” said MacLean. “ When approaching a roundabout, drivers are forced to slow down to circulate around the roundabout, thereby nearly eliminating the opportunity for a T-bone collision. Crashes in roundabouts most often are property damage only.”

“At appropriate intersections, roundabouts facilitate smoother traffic flow compared to intersections controlled by traffic signals or stop signs. Roundabouts can reduce congestion and delay by eliminating the need to stop and wait at red lights. Vehicles yield to circulating traffic, enter the roundabout at a controlled speed, and then exit, maintaining a continuous flow that keeps traffic moving efficiently,” she said.

After the data collection, MDT also became aware that a fatal T-bone collision occurred at Bell Crossing in 2023. In fact, since the study crash analysis began (June 16, 2020-March 31, 2024), there have been eight intersection crashes, seven of which were T-bone crashes, one of which was a fatality.

Many Ravalli County residents, however, remain unconvinced, including the County Commissioners.

Around 50 people attended the meeting on the 30th and over a dozen members of the public spoke out against the roundabout project. No one spoke in favor of it. They all urged the commissioners to do what they can to stop the project. Most, including the commissioners, advocated for a traffic stoplight instead.

Commissioner Greg Chilcott noted that the commissioners have been requesting a stoplight at the intersection for decades and gotten no action. He also emphasized that the county has no authority over projects on the state highway.

Most of the citizens who spoke expressed frustration about not having a chance to make significant public comment before the decision was made.

“This is an anomaly,” said Chilcott. “We have a good relationship with MDT, but for some reason on this, they don’t seem to want to hear from us.”

Jim Olson, a local engineer, said that MDT fell short in trying out mediation measures prior to making a decision and did not examine all the alternatives. As a result, he said, MDT has not properly justified either a roundabout or a stoplight as the best alternative. He noted in his written submission that the 2009 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices requires that they show that “adequate trial of alternatives with satisfactory observance and enforcement has failed to reduce the crash frequency.” He offered two examples of speed reducing designs for intersections that were not considered or evaluated in the process. 

Olson also noted that the data used in the analysis was based on roundabouts across the nation that were almost all one-lane roundabouts. A few, he said, were two-lane, “but none of them had the characteristic of a major four lane thoroughfare with lots of high speed traffic and a low traffic volume coming in the side.

“So, I don’t think their percentages mean anything,” said Olson. “You owe the people here the actual data to make that decision and you haven’t done it.”

Olson also questioned whether a tractor-trailer on the lane next to the shoulder could stay in its lane as it travels through the roundabout and if two tractor-trailers traveling side by side could make it through. He also asked if a tractor and two trailers 150 feet long, which can be permitted in the State of Montana, can travel through the roundabout while staying in its lane.

MacLean, from Big Sky Public Relations, claims, “Roundabouts have been highly effective in other Montana communities similar to Victor (both rural and urban) in supporting Emergency Medical Services (EMS), large loads, and other oversized vehicles. Numerous studies have shown that well-designed roundabouts support trucking operations. This roundabout will be designed specifically for the types of trucks and large loads that will navigate it, including emergency response vehicles.”

Senator Theresa Manzella (R-SD44), who serves as chairman of the standing legislative transportation committee as well as serving on the interim transportation committee, said this particular project was approved by the transportation committee in June of 2023 and her phone started ringing about the project in February.

Manzella said the primary complaints she heard was that the project was approved before the public had been heard. She said the legislature may need to address this issue. She said that a colleague had discussed this project with the new Director of the Department, Christopher Dorrington, who agreed to speak with District Administrator Bob Vosen to delay the project for two years while additional public comment and education is conducted.

Manzella noted that there is a record of sight distance obstructions at the intersection that has never been addressed. She agreed with Olson’s assessment that the MDT is required to show that remedial measures to reduce crash frequency have failed, but they have not even been tried. She said removing the sight obstructions and lowering the speed limit in the area could both be considered remedial measures. She said they also haven’t met the crash criteria for installing a signal or a roundabout.

“The decision we are facing today is do we move forward with asking for a traffic signal at this time or do we allow the department to delay for two more years,” said Manzella. “I would say that in the time that they interfaced with their 200 people in their open house meetings, we are approaching 4,000 signatures in opposition on our petition.”

Fred Thomas, who serves on the board of the Ravalli Electric Co-op, which is located on W. Bell Crossing Road near the intersection, said that he crosses the highway at Bell Crossing all the time when coming from Stevensville to the co-op or going to Hamilton.

“If safety was the department’s concern, they would have already acted on this,” Thomas said. “In my opinion they have failed to act on this. Then they come up with a plan that is not acceptable to us.” He said a roundabout is going to cost $5- to $10 million. “They say they are going to design it this year and build it next year. I call hockey puck on that,” said Thomas. He said a traffic light would run $1- to 2 million and the money saved could be well spent on other needs in the valley.

Thomas said Ravalli Electric Co-Op first contacted MDT about the intersection in 2018, expressing a willingness to help out financially, “and what has been done? Nothing yet.”

He said MDT’s study of the intersection compares advantages and disadvantages but it does not list the lower cost of the stoplight as an advantage. They do list it as a disadvantage that the roundabout will be expensive. They also don’t list pedestrian access as an advantage for a stoplight, he said.

“How do you cross a roundabout? How do you cross that thing now? You don’t. What if you are handicapped and need to cross?” said Thomas. “What about expediency? The speed at which you deal with this issue? It seems to be a farce of a study, if you ask me. Have they done anything like this on any major highway in Montana? I think the answer is no. Why a roundabout? It costs more and you have to move the highway a significant distance to the west.” He asked the commissioners to write MDT a letter and ask for a stoplight.

A long line of citizens expressed concerns about the decision. They complained about the “canned letters” they get in response to their questions from MDT and from the Governor’s office. A few said the roundabout was being “crammed down our throats.” A few who drive large rigs expressed concerns about navigating the roundabout.

Commissioner Jeff Burrows noted that the roundabout would require extending the right-of-way a significant distance to the west and said as far as he knew neither of the landowners to the west were willing to give up any land for the project.

“We absolutely would not support eminent domain on this project,” said Burrows.

MacLean, speaking on behalf of MDT, simply said, “All landowners bordering the Bell Crossing intersection have been contacted, and MDT right-of-way staff will work closely with them.”

A spokesperson for the Ravalli Electric Co-Op contacted by the Bitterroot Star said Friday that as far as she knew they were not in agreement yet because REC is very much opposed to the roundabout. She said that REC has tried to have conversations with MDT about the intersection for several years now and not been given much time and effort by MDT. She said she believed they were starting to come around a bit now, however, she was not aware of the latest correspondence with them, “but as far as I know I do not believe there has been any agreement from REC’s side of things for utilizing that land for a roundabout because we are very much opposed to it.” 

She said when they were first moving onto the land, they proposed paying for the paving of Bell Crossing Road from the highway to their facility and possibly contributing to the installation of a traffic light. “But that fell upon deaf ears,” she said, “and nothing was done for several years so we are no longer willing to help out with any of it. So, yes, several years ago we were willing to consider all that but at this point that is no longer on the table.”   

Commissioner Burrows said, “We were at the open house. There was no conversation, no debate. They were simply selling us on a roundabout,” he said.

He made a motion to approve an opposition letter to the roundabout that talks about speed zones; sight obstructions; data and safety; truck traffic; maintenance; the cost; land acquisition; and expediency. 

“This could have been done five years ago,” said Burrows. “We have consistently and repeatedly advocated for a light.” He said he would comb the record of public comment at this meeting for any other issues and include them.