Comments sought for North Fork Road study

The public was invited to give comment at the North Fork Flathead Road meeting Tuesday, July 27, which will be entered as part of the final Corridor Study Document.

At the meeting, representatives from Parsons Brinckerhoff — the group commissioned to conduct the study — answered questions.

Pam Murray of Parsons Brinckerhoff said she hoped to see more than 100 people come by the meeting and fill out a comment form.

"We want people to review the document and make sure we've captured the issues and concerns," Murray said.

The issues and needs initially identified through public comments received at the beginning of the study process include the coordination of emergency services to address long travel times from Columbia Falls up the North Fork Road, the large amount of dust present at speeds approximately 20 mph or greater, the washboard conditions and the challenges of maintenance — in some places the road is up to 44 feet wide and can require eight passes with a road grader.

Following public, stakeholder and agency input, these needs were re-evaluated and further defined. Additional needs for the corridor identified during the study process include improving safety conditions and decreasing accidents — addressing inconsistent roadway widths and improving maintenance to prevent washboard, potholes and dust — minimizing impacts to threatened and endangered species, preservation of existing character of the area and balancing the needs of all users.

After study of numerous improvement options, Parsons Brinckerhoff has recommended a number of options to be advanced for further consideration. The criteria to advance the options were helping with dust control, estimated 20-year cost, impact to environment, impact to wildlife, potential to increase vehicle speeds, improving roadway safety, potential to increase traffic and an agreement with land use and management plans.

Parsons Brinckerhoff has recommended the following options: no-build; maintenance option of additional grading of road; the stabilization treatments of applying magnesium chloride/calcium chloride, applying lignin, applying RoadOyl, applying SoilSement; applying a driving surface aggregate to improve road surfacing; the speed enforcement and reduction options of solar speed indicator signs, a police car with dummy, additional safety or speed limit signage, funding additional law enforcement and educational efforts to reduce speeds; finally, bituminous surface treatments/asphalt concrete treatments of fulling paving a 24-foot wide road, millings/asphalt (with chip seal) and foamed asphalt mix (with double shot).

These options range in estimated cost from under $4,000 over a 20-year period to millions of dollars.

The next steps are to consider public and stakeholder input, local government consideration of options and to conclude the study process.

Challenges of the implementation process include limited public consensus, limited growth and development potential, limited funding — the North Fork Road receives minimal local funding, is not currently prioritized in the Secondary Roads program and is no currently prioritized in the Forest Highways program — no identified major safety concerns and no deficient bridges.

The NFFR draft corridor study document is more than 300 pages long. Copies are available for the public to view at the Columbia Falls Library, city hall and online. To view the study online, visit www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/northfork/. To provide comment, send an e-mail to mdtnffrteam@mt.gov or write to Lani Eggertsen-Goff, PB 488 E. Wincester Street, Suite 400, Murray, UT 84107. Comments must be received by Aug. 10 to be included in the final document.