Highway 93's new 70 mph speed limit - friend or foe?

By Ethan Smith - Leader Staff

The 70 mph speed limit signs are up, but what will the impact be? Will it ease congestion and reduce road rage, or will it raise the death toll on one of the state's deadliest roads?

Last week, new speed limit signs were posted up and down U.S. Highway 93, the result of Senate Bill 302, which raised the limit to 70 mph in most stretches throughout the county. And while the county had one of the highest fatality rates per capita in the state last year, alcohol was as much a factor as speed, and local lawmakers say a higher speed limit shouldn't be cause for concern.

SB 302, proposed by Kalispell senator Greg Barkus and co-sponsored locally by Sen. John Brueggeman and Rep. Janna Taylor, was also approved by Rep. Rick Jore. The bill actually brings Highway 93's speed limit in line with other U.S. highways around the state, and 70 mph is what it should be for such a high-commerce corridor, local lawmakers say.

"Highway 93 was one of the only two-lane highways in the state that remained at a lower level. More of the folks I talked to said it needs to be faster," Brueggeman said. "With the road improvements being made, it was time to bring it up to where most of the highways in the state are."

Under prior state law, Highway 93 was the only state highway covered by a special section under Montana Code — a law enacted to lower the speed limit to reduce fatalities. Barkus' predecessor, Sen. Arnie Mohl, had the law enacted to make the road safer, Barkus said, but with recent highway improvements, 70 mph makes more sense.

"I felt that if you put $130 million into highway construction, the speed limit should be adjusted to match the rest of the state," he said.

Like many local lawmakers who voted in favor of raising the speed limit, Barkus said he's in favor of reduced government, and eliminating the special law that only applied to one highway was an exercise in efficiency more than an attempt to raise the speed limit.

"There's some misconceptions that I was raising the speed limit, but I just wanted to clean up the reference to one highway," Barkus said.

Jore voted for SB 302 to make the speed limit consistent with other highways around the state, too, he said, noting that Highway 212 was already 70 mph in many areas. Barkus emphasized that as well, saying it makes no sense that portions of Highways 35 and 2 in Kalispell that feed onto 93 have faster speed limits.

"If we are going to have a speed limit I feel that consistency would be appropriate. Highway 93 is the only major highway to have a speed limit that was different than other highways around the state," Jore said.

The new speed limit increases from the old limit of 65 to 70 mph outside of most of the county's cities and towns. However, the speed limit will stay at lower levels outside of St. Ignatius, in Big Arm and Elmo, and other stretches near residential areas.

Whether or not it will increase fatalities a measurable amount remains to be seen. Last year, Lake County was part of an overall Highway Patrol district that set a record for vehicle fatalities, and speed was often a contributing factor. But alcohol was also a factor in a majority of the 22 deaths that took place on Lake County's roads last year, and many of those deaths occurred on roads other than Highway 93.

The record number of county fatalities was due largely to a 25-day period that started Aug. 28, 2006 when nine people died in six accidents, and alcohol was a factor in at least seven of those deaths. However, none of those deaths took place on Highway 93, and lawmakers say negligent drivers — not a higher speed limit — are the county's biggest problem.

"I don't think the speed limit is the reason [for the high fatality rate]. It's irresponsible drivers and drunk drivers," Jore said.

Highway patrol troopers interviewed last year and earlier this year on the county's record fatality rate say speed is definitely a contributing factor. Statistics released earlier this year by MHP show that 57 percent of all fatal crashes statewide didn't involve alcohol or drugs, although the data didn't show to what extent speed was a factor.

Local troopers did not respond to a call seeking comment on the new speed limit, prior to the Leader's press time.

Jore and Brueggeman both said they're still in favor of doing away with speed limits, when the state highway speed limit was determined by the "reasonable and prudent" standard, allowing drivers to go the speed they felt conditions allowed. According to both of them, past data showed that fatalities increased when the state set a speed limit, rather than allowing drivers to drive at their own pace.

"I think it's worth noting that when we had a daytime speed limit, the fatalities went up over when we didn't have a speed limit," Brueggeman said.

For Brueggeman, a 70 mph speed limit just makes sense when you consider how many drivers use Highway 93 to travel to Kalispell and Missoula. If it were up to him, the highway would be four lanes throughout most of the county, he said.

The 70 mph speed limit will reduce congestion and even road rage, Brueggeman said.

"A lot of the three and four-lane areas aren't enough to ease congestion, especially with the number of commuters using it everyday," he said. "I drive that road to Missoula two or three times a week, and you still see a lot of upset drivers. You get caught behind someone going 55 mph and then you get 20, 30 cars backed up behind them. It needs to be four lanes all the way through."

Barkus echoed that, saying there needs to be more passing zones.

"It causes a lot of frustration when someone is going 40 mph and there's 4,000 people from the Flathead trying to get to a Griz game on a Saturday morning," he said. "I believe a highway that moves smoothly and without interruption is the safest one."

Barkus said two-lane portions of the road raise more safety concerns for him than the 70 mph speed limit. A more open road would allow traffic to flow better, he said.

"In certain areas I'm a little disappointed in the construction, where we don't have more passing lanes and four-lane areas," he said. "I don't think a change in speed limit will cause more fatalities."

All the lawmakers noted that the Highway Commission, a special board that is allowed to review driving conditions and recommend changes, can vote to lower the speed limit if 70 mph proves too fast for local conditions.

"I was a little disappointed in the ultimate design of Highway 93. There's a lot of places that warrant four lanes and 70 mph," Brueggeman said. "We have one of the biggest commercial corridors in the state, and the fact that we have a two-lane road between Kalispell and Missoula is ridiculous."

"Lowering the speed limit hasn't reduced fatalities. These accidents are due to irresponsible drivers, and they're going to have accidents no matter what the speed limit is," Jore said. "The speed limit isn't the problem."