Trucking to continue on Highway 35

Further restricting large truck traffic on Montana Highway 35 between Bigfork and Polson is not an option, but there are ways to make the road safer, Director Jim Lynch of the Montana Department of Transportation told a crowd of East and West Shore residents last week.

At the Nov. 12 meeting in Somers, Lynch presented updated findings on safety concerns and highlighted the actions MDT has taken since the last round of public meetings that looked at truck traffic on Highway 35 and U.S. Highway 93. Concerns about the safety of Highway 35 arose after several large truck accidents occurred on the roadway, including an April 2008 accident where a gas tanker crash spilled 60,000 gallons of fuel onto properties lining the highway resulting in millions of dollars in cleanup.

The most recent accident occurred in October, when a chipper truck overturned and burst into flames.

The now four recent accidents on Highway 35 were all single-vehicle run-offs caused by driver error. Three of the four were in the same two-mile stretch of the highway. But, the trucks all had different configurations, lengths and products. None of them were out of compliance in length or weight, Montana Highway Patrol representatives said.

At the meeting, residents expressed ongoing concerns about truck traffic, especially regarding the length of trucks, those carrying hazardous materials and the width of the roadway. More than 70 people were in attendance, including county commissioners and representatives of the trucking industry, MHP and other entities.

Addressing demands from residents to close the highway to trucks, Lynch said it is not within MDT's power to do.

The roadway is part of the National Highway System, and, therefore, cannot be restricted any more than federal statutes allow, Lynch said. If the highway was to be removed from the network, which would be difficult, state statutes would apply.

Under state law, MDT can only restrict size, weight and use for a very specific, temporary purpose such as the condition of the roadway, construction or a weather situation, Lynch said.

MDT has been able to restrict width on the road. Single trip and permitted non-local loads more than 8.5 feet wide will be restricted on Highway 35 between Bigfork and Polson in January.

With the solution of eliminating large truck traffic from the highway off the table, Lynch said everyone will have to play a role in addressing safety concerns – MDT, the trucking industry and the community.

"If you are going to keep the roadway safe, the community has to take responsibility," Lynch said.

Re-routing truck traffic to Highway 93, which has an equal number of large truck accidents, would only limit truckers' options when facing bad weather or other road conditions, Lynch said.

"From a safety standpoint, the more options you have, the better off you are," Lynch said.

For its part, MDT has closed 10 passing zones where there was not enough room to pass more than one car, installed additional signs regarding passing, put up a guardrail between mile 4.8 and 6.1 and built a new vehicle pullout around mile post 7.

MDT is currently looking to install similar pullouts at two other sites.

Studies of the road's pavement and filmed tests to see if trucks of all configurations could stay in their lane at the speed limit showed the highway is capable of carrying truck traffic. MDT also took a closer look at the Swan River Bridge in Bigfork and found the bridge is structurally sound, though its width at 28 feet is considered narrow for its traffic volumes.

Montana currently has more than 1,100 bridges with a width of 28 feet or less that carry truck traffic, Lynch said. MDT has limited funds for work on replacing these bridges.

Since the last meetings, MDT has also expanded Motor Carrier Services enforcement at a site along Highway 35.

The trucking industry, after conversations with Lynch, is also striving to make efforts to improve safety. Truckers support reduced speed through the Finley Point area and plan to provide additional training to drivers for existing conditions on the two roads.

Representatives of the industry are also proposing a community road watch network for the two highways where individuals from the area could help keep an eye on behavior and then meet with truckers, MDT, MHP and local law enforcement.

Community members could also report concerns to a proposed 1-800 highway watch number to be posted along the roadway and moderated by MDT.

Spook Stang, executive vice president of Motor Carriers of Montana, emphasized that the two highways, 35 and 93, have equal needs for safety and attention.

"I get as many phone calls about dangers from people on 93 as I do from people on 35," Stang said. "No highway is more important than another."

Truckers are also offering to self-monitor aggressive driving and report what they see to other trucking companies.

"We'll take responsibility for our bad actors," Stang said. "But you also have to help in that. It's not just trucks."

John Agnew of Bigfork, who lives on Highway 35, said he has observed equal amounts of truck traffic on the two roadways. He said he appreciated the recognition that truckers and community members needed to collaborate.

"I like the community aspect and trying to do that," Agnew said. "We all need to get along together."