East Shore residents want truck ban on Highway 35
By ALEX STRICKLAND/Bigfork Eagle
About 90 people filled the Yellow Bay Clubhouse last Friday to discuss what could be done about truck traffic on Highway 35. By the time it was done, East Shore residents had decided on their position: Ban it.
When the Montana Department of Transportation holds a pair of meetings early next month, residents who live along Highway 35 will be seeking a total ban on through-traffic trucks along the East Shore. They point to Highway 93 on the opposite side of the lake as a wider, safer route that spends more of its time farther from the shores of Flathead Lake.
An accident on April 2, near Finely Point in which a truck's "pup" — a small trailer behind the main trailer — flipped in a barrow ditch and spilled about 6,000 gallons of gasoline was pointed to as a last straw for residents who live along the highway. The idea of a scenic highway designation to limit truck traffic had widespread community backing in 1991, but didn't gain any traction in Helena.
The meeting in Yellow Bay was an informal community meeting organized by East Shore residents Rose Schwenneson and Pat Seville to collect comments and ideas before formal meetings with MDOT take place.
Schwenneson said the objective of the gathering was that "we as a smaller group can get together and write down some ideas."
Some of those ideas included dropping the speed limit along the length of the road to 35 mph, limiting access by length or during the winter and increasing enforcement, possibly through the use of volunteer patrols. One resident suggested that instead of focusing on limitations and restrictions, perhaps an incentive to travel on Highway 93 could be implemented. His recommendation was to create a system whereby trucks traveling along the West Shore could receive a break on fuel prices in Polson or Kalispell with the use of a special card.
Dwane Kailey, with MDOT's Missoula Office, was at the meeting to collect ideas and thoughts on what information his office might be able to gather before the June 4 and 5 meetings. Kailey deferred on most of the audience's questions, instead directing them to the DOT sponsored meetings for answers.
"Right now we're trying to assemble traffic information about accident rates, truck travel and traffic rates," Kailey said.
Those in attendance recommended to Kailey that they look into everything from this accident history on the road to the seismic effect passing trucks have on homes situated close to the road, as many on the narrow highway are.
Kailey's presence at the meeting was clearly appreciated by the audience, who thanked him for the effort being put into exploring all options by the DOT. But the threat felt by those in attendance was on display as well. As Kailey left, someone shouted after him, "Watch out for the trucks going home."
As the crowd thinned, Schwenneson tried to corral suggestion and a timeline of major accidents that have occurred along Highway 35. The most memorable seemed to be from August 5, 1975, when a fuel truck crashed, caught fire and exploded, taking a two-story log home with it. Residents also recalled a chemical spill at Fulkerson's Corner south of Finley Point in September of 2002 and a spill in East Bay sometime around 1992.
Schwenneson recounted taking a 700-signature strong petition before legislators in Helena in 1991 to establish Highway 35 as a scenic highway and procure funding for a bike trail that fizzled under pressure from the trucking industry.
"Only six people (from the East Shore) came to our hearing," she said. "The trucking lobby filled the room and went down the hall."
But a formidable lobby is only a small concern for Rob Kohler, whose parents Ron and Barbara Kohler were forced from their home after the gasoline spilled in the April 2 tanker crash permeated their property and home.
"The economic impact from this beautiful, blue body of water brings more money to the area than trucking," he said.
Rob brought his computer and played a photo slide show of the crash site and subsequent reclamation work for anyone who was interested. He also brought a jar of water scooped from a spring on his parent's property that has a visible film on it.
Upon olfactory examination, the spring water smelled strongly of gasoline and Rob said that he took a jarful to his shop and there was so much gas in it, he was able to light it on fire.
Don Schwenneson has set up a Web site for the push to limit or ban trucks on Highway 35 where residents can comment or make suggestions. The address is http://www.montana35.blogspot.com.
The MDOT-sponsored meetings are scheduled to take place on June 4 at the Best Western White Oak hotel just north of Somers and on June 5 and Kwa-Tuk-Nuk Resort in Polson. Both meeting will start with a sort of open house at 6:30 p.m. for the public to peruse information that the DOT has gathered and the formal presentation by DOT Director Jim Lynch will begin at 7 p.m. Public comment will be taken.