Residents weigh in on city’s traffic needs

Columbia Falls residents had plenty of opinions on how best to manage car and bike/pedestrian traffic in the future as the city continues to grow and the number of vehicles on the road increases.

Some of the top comments in a survey done last year by KLJ engineering touched on a variety of traffic hot spots both in and out of the city limits.

One of those hot spots is the Blue Moon intersection, where folks say a left hand turn signal heading south from Half Moon Road is sorely needed since Murdoch’s and other development has gone in.

That intersection sees about 9 million vehicle trips annually.

Wade Kline of KLJ engineering went over a report completed in December with city council members last week. KLJ plans on having a comprehensive 20-year transportation plan for the city and surrounding areas in its planning jurisdiction completed later this year.

Another hot topic continues to be the Red Bridge. There have been several attempts over the years to preserve the Red Bridge, but community efforts have always faltered. Still, a fair number of people see it as a viable bike-pedestrian bridge in the future, tying into River Road, where they’d also like to a see a bike path back to U.S. Highway 2.

In addition, a left turn lane at River Road is also needed, folks said.

Inside the city limits, the Truck Route onto Highway 2 needs a traffic light, as it’s been the site of numerous accidents over the years.

They also would like to see the Meadow Lake Boulevard intersection improved as well. One person suggested a pedestrian-bike overpass there.

All told, the survey done by KLJ complete with an interactive map saw 123 comments and 362 reactions were added to the interactive map by 395 unique visitors.

Kline said that was an excellent response rate.

In the broader view, 44% of people were worried about traffic safety and 20% bike and pedestrian safety.

Kline noted that some fixes were relatively easy — the Blue Moon intersection could be improved by changes in paint and turning signals, he noted.

Bike/pedestrian paths were a popular suggestion. Several folks suggested a bike path down South Hilltop to Jellison Road, for example.

The plan will also look at making the city a little quieter, with a quiet zone surrounding the BNSF Railway tracks.

That will take cooperation from the railway and reconfiguration and closing of some crossings.

A quiet zone has been on the city’s plate for more than 20 years. Mayor Don Barnhart found a document in his office that would have got it done back in the late 1990s, but it never came to fruition.

Overall, some traffic problems can be fixed with paint and signage.

Others, like the Red Bridge, would potentially cost millions, if they ever get off the ground at all.

People split on some suggestions. For example, one of the top comments was to slow traffic down sooner as it enters the city limits. There were 15 comments for that tactic, but seven against it.