State plans to widen section of Highway 40
Cars drive along Montana 40 just outside of Whitefish. (Heidi Desch/Whitefish Pilot)
The Montana Department of Transportation is planing to widen a segment of Montana Highway 40, while also examining whether the road should eventually be constructed to five lanes.
MDT plans to widen the road to include a turn lane from the intersection of Highway 40 and U.S. Highway 93 South for 2.6 miles to the intersection at Dillon Road and Conn Road.
MDT began studying the section of the road in 2017 looking for ways to potentially improve it based upon safety concerns and necessary fixes. Now, it’s taking comments on its plan that would make the road similar to how it looks farther to the east.
Missoula District Administrator Ed Toavs said MDT is wrapping up study on two issues pertaining to the road for repair and safety.
“The asphalt is rutted and cracked and the road sees a ton of traffic. The roadway has seen better days so we want to get that fixed,” he said. “With the existing property and right of way we have there we can widen it to three lanes. We’re interested in getting those two things done.”
The proposed work includes widening the road to add a two-way left-turn lane, applying a new overlay, and finishing with a seal and cover (chip seal), upgraded pavement marking, signage and guardrail.
Construction is tentatively planned for 2022, depending on completion of design and availability of funds. The preliminary estimate for constructing a three-lane road there is $6 million.
“We want to get this ready if funding becomes available,” Toavs said. “We’re pretty interested in getting this done because it’s very needed.”
New right-of-way and relocation of utilities may be required as part of the project. MDT staff is expected to contact all potentially affected landowners prior to performing survey work on their land. Staff will again contact landowners prior to construction regarding property acquisition and temporary construction permits.
In addition, MDT is also studying the longterm future of the road from the Highway 93 junction to the U.S. Highway 2 intersection near Columbia Falls. The road currently sees 14,000 vehicle trips per day on an annual average and sees a larger volume during the peak summer season.
Toavs said the study will examine how the road will need to look in 10 to 20 years in the future.
“With the growth that’s happening in Columbia Falls and Whitefish we only expect traffic will increase,” Toavs said. “That’s why we’re looking at doing five lanes for the whole road.”
MDT is studying the potential impacts an expansion to five lanes would have to traffic congestion, safety, intersection operations, access, adjacent properties, and environmental concerns for the entire Montana 40 corridor.
“This is a long-range project that requires analysis before moving forward,” he said. “That road is not adequate and is going to need more capacity.”
Toavs said one of the items to be considered will be whether the road maintains the same rural highway feel it has now or if in the future it makes more sense to have a more urban road with curb and gutter, and controlled intersections.
“One of the challenges is the number of accesses along the road to private property and the county roads,” he said. “Highway 40 has a lot of approaches and we only expect that the residential and commercial will continue to grow there.”
Toavs said the five-lane plan needs more planning including for right-of-way, and construction would be more costly because it involves double the length of roadway than the project involving the three-lane on the western most section of the road.
“We have to look long-term, yet we have this short-term issue that can’t wait,” he said regarding the two separate projects.
For more information, please contact Toavs at 406-523-5802 or Project Design Engineer William Squires at 406-444-6228. Members of the public may submit written comments to the Montana Department of Transportation Missoula office at P.O. Box 7039, Missoula, MT 59807-7039, or online at: https://mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml.
Comments are for project UPN 9187001. Alternative accessible formats of this information will be provided upon request by contacting Alice Flesch, Human Resources and Occupational Safety Division, P.O. Box 201001, Helena, MT 59620; 406-444-9229; TTY 800-335-7592; fax 406-444-7243, or email to aflesch@mt.gov.