22 July 2016
If you see someone walking the bypass — CALL THE COPS!
That’s the latest message from Mickey Lapp of the Kalispell Bypass Team. Every Friday, Lapp blasts out an email with an attachment updating the state of the project’s construction, and lets readers know what to expect during the coming week.
Today’s update includes a rubricated, italicized, and partially bolded, paragraph warning there is no public access to the areas under construction:
The public is reminded to stay clear of work areas and construction zones. There is NO public access through any construction area, work zone or trail system and the public is reminded NOT to walk, drive or ride through work areas or construction zones. If you witness trespassing through work areas or construction zones, please notify Flathead Law Enforcement officials immediately.
Wow. That’s laying down the law. Donald Trump could not have done it better.
There may be concerns about theft and vandalism, but I suspect the major concern is liability if someone walking the bypass sprains an ankle. On weekends, when the project is shut down, on some stretches under construction, for example, between Two and Three Mile Drives, the bypass provides a wide and smooth walking route that, frankly, is a lot safer than walking along a road with traffic.
The bypass between Two and Three Mile Drives in early July. The road is closed, but the walking is easy.
Of course, one way of obviating the temptation to walk the bypass on a weekend would be for the construction company to work on the weekends and finish the project faster.
In the meantime, if you spot an outlaw walker strolling along the bypass this weekend, think twice before hitting 911 on speeddial and screaming “Help, help! There’s trespass on the bypass.” The constable tends to see red when he receives that kind of call.