Copyright Kalispell Inter Lake
Kalispell City Council on Monday will consider moving forward with a project to put temporary traffic safety measures on East Oregon Street. Council will hold a work session on Monday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. The city was awarded $2.4 million to install upgrades to the road through the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All Demonstration Grant program in November 2024. But before the dollars are allocated, the city must finalize a grant agreement with the Federal Highway Administration. Work on the agreement was paused after President Donald Trump took office, but discussion has since resumed, according to a memo from Community Development Manager Nelson Loring. Money from the agreement is limited to temporary safety improvements, a restriction that city officials were unaware of when they initially applied for the dollars, according to Loring. That means that the planned improvements, like rectangular rapid flashing bacons, high visibility crosswalks, and mini roundabouts, must be portable. Loring told the Inter Lake the condition wasn’t specified in the grant application, but that the grant is for testing whether the upgrades work. The city will have to apply for an implementation grant to fund the installation of permanent measures. Kalispell originally applied for the grant to fund improvements to Fifth Avenue West and East Oregon Street, but money was only awarded for the latter. If the city authorizes a grant agreement, it will have to scrounge up $600,000 in local match funds, according to Loring. The improvements to East Oregon cannot be paid for by tax increment finance funds. TRAFFIC STUDIES and neighbor complaints reported excessive speed and reckless driving on the corridor. The Main Street Safety Action Plan adopted by Council in August 2024 identified East Oregon Street as a priority for traffic safety upgrades. The plan serves as a framework for eliminating motor vehicle and pedestrian crashes downtown by 2045. A portion of the plan proposed slimming Main Street to two travel lanes, widening the sidewalks and installing traffic safety measures on First Avenue East and West. But Council over the summer chose not to follow through with the project, backing away from pursuing funding from the Safe Streets and Roads for All Implementation Grant program.
