UBVCC responds to MDT speed recommendation

Following their Oct. 20 meeting, the Upper Blackfoot Valley Community Council drafted a letter to the Montana Department of Transportation objecting to the findings in their proposal to lower the speed on a one-mile stretch of Highway 200 just east of Lincoln.

Early last month, in response to an August request from Lewis and Clark County for a a speed study in the area, MDT proposed lowering the speed limit from the east end of Lincoln to Airport Road from 70 mph to 60 mph. However, the proposal didn't include any change to the passing zone through the area, which council members feel is a critical to improving safety for motorists that section of highway.

At the Nov. 5 Lincoln Government Day, UBVCC Chairman Zach Muse discussed the councils concerns with the County Commissioners The letter from the UBVCC will be submitted to MDT through Lewis and Clark County.

"We're trying to be careful not to push too hard because we've gotten quite a bit done here and changed here," Muse said, referring in part to MDTs willingness to install radar activated speed indicators and warning lights at the school zone and to an extension of the 30 mph speed limit through town, beyond what a 2008 speed study called for.

In general, UBVCC members see the change to a no-passing zone, in conjunction with a lower 50 mph speed limit, to be more beneficial to safety in the area than a simple 10 mph speed reduction alone. While the lower speed is seen as a good step, the issue of the passing zone has been a particular concern due to the number of accidents and near misses in the area.

"We would like it 50, but if it's going go be 60, we can tolerate that as long as we can get that passing zone removed," Muse told the county commissioners. "There's not a huge benefit to having that. Its not saving anyone very much time."

Eastbound vehicles that attempt to pass in the area often found themselves headed for a potential collision with vehicles turning into or out of Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild or the Lincoln Ranger District station. Most of the incident have been near misses, and in the letter Muse notes that those near misses, as well as slide-offs and animal collisions, often go unreported. Since the proposal only looked at reported incidents, the council felt it didn't accurately reflect the danger to motorists. Likewise the proposal didn't take into account accidents that occurred after May of 2020, when the dataset MDT used ended.