Project enters home stretch

POLSON — The last portion of a project to make Skyline Drive safer will begin next week.

Work will begin in earnest on the remaining portion of the road project Tuesday, said Roland Godan, general projects manager with Lake County Community Development Corporation, which is overseeing the financial part of the project.

The three-year project will wrap up in mid-September with the completion of a leveled and straightened Skyline Drive and a bike path, Godan said.

A $12 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant, funded through the economic stimulus bill, is covering project costs.

The city of Polson also has contributed $519,000 to the project to upgrade sewer and water systems and develop storm drains to better channel runoff from the Skyline Drive area, Godan said.

Already, utilities were relocated and 1st Avenue East was improved. A new bridge across the Pablo feeder canal also was replaced.

Godan said this summer’s work will be concentrated between Demers and JB Drive, with activity down to Caffery Road. Feeder road approaches will be made safer, retaining walls installed, curbs and gutters put in place and the roadway repaved.

During work, Skyline Drive from Demers Lane to JB Drive will be one-way, with traffic only allowed headed out of town, he said. Commuters from out of town won’t be impacted because travel times taking U.S. Highway 93 are comparable, he said.

“But it will greatly effect the people living up in the Skyline area,” he said.

To help mitigate some of the impact, a pilot car will be used to guide traffic, he said.

The pilot car will run on the hour, at 20 past the hour and again at 40 past the hour so residents can plan for delays, Godan said. A schedule also will help construction crews finish major portions of work and get into a work rhythm, he added.

Also set for construction this summer is a bike and pedestrian path that will stretch from by the hospital to Caffrey Road.

“Then the money ran out,” Godan said, adding an alternative source has been identified to fund stretching the path to U.S. Highway 93. The last portion is estimated to cost between $200,000 and $300,000, he said.

“We’re almost certain that portion of the project is going to be funded,” he added.

The path will be a draw for local and regional residents, increase fitness levels and decrease gas use, Godan said.

A designated path area also will encourage people to get out and enjoy the scenery by giving them a different route to take, he added.

In addition to making Skyline Drive safer and enhancing alternative routes of transportation, the project has boosted the local economy.

Godan said it’s nice to see tax dollars at work in the community. The project was awarded to a Missoula company, which has hired mainly local subcontractors for the work, he said. Out-of-town workers stay in hotels, eat at restaurants and fuel vehicles at local gas stations, he added.

“The bulk of the money went right back into the local economy.”