KALISPELL — The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) hosted an open house in Kalispell on Tuesday to offer information on an access plan for U.S. Highway 93 between Kalispell and Whitefish.
“Access to my business is blocked by a really severe accident, sometimes weekly,” said Rio Dance Studio Owner Madeline Axtell whose business is just off Highway 93 south of Whitefish.
She’s worried about the safety of her students driving to the studio and would like to see improvements to the busy roadway.
“It seems like that area specifically is not set up for success right now; a lot more businesses have been added to the intersection than it was originally designed for, and so I’m really eager to submit my feedback to create safety and really functionality in that intersection,” said Axtell.
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Axtell was one of dozens of Flathead residents who attended the open house to learn more information and provide feedback.
MDT District Administrator Bob Vosen said they are at the beginning pre-planning phase of any future project.
“You know this is just to help not only MDT but the cities and the county as we try to develop a plan for what we want this to look like, what this corridor to look like moving forward,” said Vosen.
Vosen told MTN the main goal of the access plan is to provide safe and efficient access to properties along Highway 93 while maintaining easy traffic flow and reducing vehicle crashes.
“And what this is about is to just help us figure out where the key access points are to help kind of guide development and growth in the valley as well, so we don’t have developers wanting to access the road in unsafe locations," Vosen said.
Maggie Hill — who owns Xseed Chiropractic off Highway 93 just south of Whitefish — would like to see the speed limit reduced where Highway 93 merges into Whitefish.
“Currently where my business is at it’s still 65 miles per hour and there’s been an influx of businesses and traffic that have popped up there and I see every day between my business and my home how fast people drive by there, and so I’d really like to see that speed limit be reduced,” said Hill.
Vosen said potential speed limit changes and intersection developments will be looked at closely as the project moves forward.
“The speed limit discussions and the types of intersections that will be further along once we identify those key locations, then we will look at the issues at each of those.”
A second open house is planned for May 27 from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. at Whitefish City Hall.
Click here to learn more about the access plan.
