Kalispell City Council will be briefed on a U.S. 2 speed study and new state planning law at its Monday work session.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. It can also be attended virtually via Zoom.
Council will hear a presentation from Rebecca Franke, a traffic engineer with the Montana Department of Transportation, on the recommendations from a recently completed speed study that the department conducted on U.S. 2 west of Kalispell.
The report recommends lowering the speed limit on a roughly 3.5 mile section of highway between Smith Valley Elementary School and Rose Heights Lane from 60 mph to 55 mph. The stretch is buttressed by existing 45 mph zones.
The department monitored motorist speeds as well as accident and citation records to come up with the recommended speed limit. The previous speed limit was set in 2007 and last reviewed in 2015, according to the report.
The road’s narrow width calls for slightly lower speeds, the report found.
“Although the prevailing speeds indicate appropriately set speed limits, roadway context indicates these speeds are slightly elevated above what should be considered reasonable and prudent,” the report said.
COUNCIL WILL also hear from city planning officials on the implications of the recently instituted Montana Land Use Planning Act. Signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte in May, the law affects how municipalities implement development and land use regulations.
The law “changes current planning processes by consolidating the growth policy, subdivision and zoning under one umbrella,” according to a memo by Jarrod Nygren, city planning head. The law “front loads the planning associated with the growth policy and allows for a streamlined administrative review of site-specific development applications.”
Nygren will brief city councilors on how the law may affect the roles of the Planning Department, the Planning Board and the Council in approving or denying new development and changes to zoning code.
Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached at 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com.
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