City studies Baker Avenue extension, new bridges

Whitefish is looking at its long-range plans for street and bridge improvements in hopes of enhancing local transportation.

City Council recently held a work session outlining the projects that are part of the city’s 1999 South Whitefish Transportation Plan. One of the top concerns is the need for another east-west bridge over the Whitefish River.

“A lot of these issues come back from time to time,” City Manager Chuck Stearns said. “It’s good to get an overview of the plan.”

Public Works Director Craig Workman said the plan points to a lack of a grid system in portions of the city and a lack of alternate routes for Highway 93 South for commuters wanting to travel north to south in the city.

“There was a lack of an expanded street system that has stifled residential and commercial development,” Craig Workman. “Without side streets, it creates a linear pattern of development.”

Several projects in the south Whitefish area have generated new interest in the city’s transportation plan.

Construction is already underway on a Hampton Inn on the west side of the Highway and the Whitefish Crossing apartment project is proposed for nearby. A Marriott Hotel and housing project have also been proposed for north of the Les Schwab Tire Center.

The transportation plan calls for creating an extension of Baker Avenue to the south to JP Road to serve as a collector street for traffic moving north and south. The plan also suggests that a connection from Columbia Avenue south to eventually also meet with JP Road would create a collector on the east side of the highway.

Planning Director Dave Taylor said an extension of Baker came up with the Hampton Inn and Whitefish Crossing, which were approved with dedication for a future Baker Avenue extension on the western edge of those properties.

“Five years ago we never expected Baker Avenue might get extended and then we had a rush of properties being developed [in that area],” Taylor said. “The east side of the highway is having similar interest.”

Workman said it would be possible to extend Columbia Avenue to Greenwood Drive through the old hospital site now that the building has been torn down.

“With these north-south collector streets we’re cutting to the core of one of the main conversations of the plan,” Workman added. “That would help some of that north-south traffic circulation.”

Workman said the extension of Baker Avenue to the south would face challenges because while there is dedicated right-of-way in some sections it would still face obstacles. A straight path south on Baker from where it terminates now at 19th Street has limited area to be constructed because of the location of the Chalet Motel and the Whitefish RV Park. The dedicated right-of-way at Park Knoll Lane is also at a very steep slope, he noted, and will be a challenge in the future.

The South Whitefish Transportation Plan was adopted in early 2000 as an amendment to the South Whitefish Neighborhood Plan.

Mayor John Muhlfeld said he would like to see an update to the plan. He noted that the 2009 cost estimates that are part of the Whitefish Transportation Plan are out-of-date.

“We need to focus on updated cost estimates for these priority projects,” he said. “We need further study of the access onto Highway 93 because it’s playing into a lot of development that’s happening right now.”

Councilor Richard Hildner said he would like to see the city have a conversation with the Montana Department of Transportation about how to deal with the cumulative effects of developments accessing onto Highway 93 South.

Any decisions would eventually have to come back to Council for a vote.

Several areas of the city’s transportation plan were discussed:

• Need for another east-west bridge over the Whitefish River possibly with a bridge at Seventh Street or at 13th Street.

Stearns said a Seventh Street bridge has limitations because it goes over a wide area of the river, which in 2009 was estimated to cost $10.2 million. As a part of Highway 93, the bridge would likely be created with Montana Department of Transportation which would shoulder the cost, he noted.

The 13th Street bridge would connect 13th across the river to Voerman Road. The 2009 estimated cost for that bridge is $7.9 million, but would be paid for with city funds.

“That bridge would connect straight to Voerman Road for emergency services and there would be pretty significant improvement to response time in that area,” Stearns said. “When you look at the possibility of development in that area, the bridge becomes even more significant.”

Stearns said North Valley Hospital would like to sell property it still owns near the river at 13th Street, but the spot has been designated for the bridge. The hospital has for several years asked the city to abandon the street easement.

Attorney Dan Johns, who represents North Valley Hospital, said the hospital would love to sell that tract of land, but the buyers don’t want that piece of property because of the easement.

“It has cost us a couple of sales,” Johns said. “Buyers disappear when they learn that 60 feet is designated for a bridge on 150 feet of property.”

“We’d like, if you’re looking at bridge alternatives, to decide which is your preference,” he added. “If it’s Thirteenth, then we’d be happy to sell to the city for fair market value.”

• An extension of Whitefish Avenue through vacant land to Shiloh Avenue and JP Road.

A possible extension of Whitefish Avenue is called for as part of the proposed Marriott Hotel south of the Mountain Mall and the proposed adjacent housing project.

Taylor said the plan talks about a high burden for developers to extend streets and that the city might assist with funds for those types of projects.

“I think that’s something we should consider when it comes to connecting Whitefish Avenue to JP Road,” he said. “There are properties in there that might not develop for 20 years, but because of that new development it will be important to funnel traffic to JP Road.”

Workman said there’s a lack of parallel streets along Highway 93 to take the local traffic off the highway, which is intended to move vehicles through town.

“The side streets are intended to move local and residential traffic through the neighborhood,” he said.

During public comment, Tom Downing with the Riverwood Park Community Association, said traffic issues already exist on Shiloh Avenue. He claims that delivery trucks for the Don K car dealership and Wright’s Furniture frequently park on the street creating a parking issue.

“We currently deal with a number of issues on Shiloh Avenue,” he said. “We’re concerned about the proposal to connect Whitefish Avenue to Shiloh because what’s going to happen. All of the traffic from the developments southeast of the city would then follow that as a short cut. We feel that’s going to be a tremendous amount of traffic on Shiloh.”

• The need for an east-west connection from U.S. 93 to Karrow Avenue.

Stearns says there is a possibility of creating a connection with 18th Street past the city shop to Karrow Avenue, but the street is sub-standard in size and portions of the road would be on a steep grade. In addition, the original plan called for connecting with Lund Lane, but that has since become a private road.

Stearns said the best option would likely be to connect JP Road to Karrow.

“Historically, it’s been a concern that it could become a bypass,” Stearns said. “But our east to west connectivity continues to be a problem.”

• An extension of Flathead Avenue to 18th Street.

This is suggested to allow for better emergency access because of the location of the nearby Emergency Services Center on Flathead Avenue.

Workman also said the ingress and egress on 18th Street is narrow for access to the city shop.

“There’s only enough room for one vehicle going up and down that [18th] street and given the size of the vehicles using that road to the shop it gets to be tricky,” he said. “Currently the shop has a failing septic system and it’s being pumped, so this could also allow for the extension of sewer to the shop.”