A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.
Construction of the almighty Kalispell westside bypass resumes in October. It’s going to be mighty inconvenient for residents living west of the bypass who usually travel to town on Two Mile Drive. And it’s already inconvenient for motorists and pedestrians who used to take Parkridge Drive east from Stillwater Road. Parkridge was closed on 28 August, and on the west end it was closed brutally:
Taken on the evening of 28 August. The barrier to stop pedestrians had been cut before I stopped to make this photograph.
Why the authorities tried to stop pedestrian and bicycle traffic defies explanation. Once the road was closed between Stillwater and Barron, the closed section was safer than ever for foot and bicycle traffic. The Great Wall of Parkridge was breached immediately, leading to this:
No, it’s not undocumented immigrants sneaking across the Tex-Mex border. It’s a Kalispell father and his children breaching the Parkridge bypass barrier.
The barrier from the west. These bicyclists honored the closure.
Looking south at the swale through which the bypass will run. What a wonderful greenway this would make if artfully landscaped and equipped with a bicycle trail.
The eastern barrier near Barron, looking west. How much trouble would it have been for the sign maker to keep the full date on one line?
Few projects are as environmentally and socially disruptive as a new multilane highway. Tens of millions of dollars flow to construction companies and engineering firms. They profit, but the people living next to the turnpike pay the price. Neighborhoods are divided, property values are degraded, and the convenience of local residents is subordinated to the convenience of through tourists and truckers.
Kalispell’s leaders have long convinced themselves that once the bypass is in place, big noisy trucks will take the bypass while paying customers in nice little cars will come to glorious old downtown Kalispell where the buildings are old and parking is scarce. I’m not sure how goods will be delivered to downtown businesses if all the trucks take the bypass, but perhaps silent drones will place the merchandise on the loading docks after midnight.
My usual route east begins on Two Mile Drive. It’s going to be messy and exasperating at best, dangerous at worst. I’m not looking forward to the experience. This is change, but it’s not progress.