Group seeking speed limit reduction pushes for update

Representatives of a group of state Highway 37 residents hoping to see speed limits on the busy roadway lowered returned before the board of commissioners on Jan. 12.

Lerah Parker, who spearheaded an effort to gather a petition calling for speed reductions last summer, pressed commissioners on the status of the project. When the group first appeared on the board’s agenda in early September, commissioners agreed to take the proposal to the state.

“We lost a lot of sheep this year; we’ve lost a lot of deer,” Parker told commissioners, citing one of several reasons the neighbors had launched the effort.

As they did in September, commissioners emphasized that speed limits remain up to the state and any changes moved on Helena’s timeline. County Commissioner Jerry Bennett (D-2) said his previous contact with the Department of Transportation in Kalispell had retired in the intervening months, adding an additional challenge to getting status updates.

“I tried yesterday to figure out through the state directory who might have taken his place, but I wasn’t able to come up with a direct phone number to speak to somebody personally,” Bennett said. “It’s in the state Department of Transportation’s hands. It’s just finding the right person to talk to.”

Parker and her neighbors held high hopes the commissioners could sway Helena to drop the speed limit last year. At the time, they cited speeding motorists, conflicts with wildlife and safety concerns, particularly turning on and off the state highway, as the main reasons for the request. After departing the outskirts of Libby city limits, the speed limit on the roadway increases to 70 miles per hour.

More than 200 people signed the group’s petition calling for the speed limit reduction.

Then — as now — Bennett cautioned them against expecting the issue to get resolved quickly. He highlighted his unsuccessful efforts to convince the state to look at the stretch of U.S. Highway 2 near the Kootenai Falls as an example.

“I want you to be aware: I’ve been the squeaky wheel for three years on the Kootenai Falls,” he said.

County Commissioner Brent Teske, a former mayor of Libby, pointed to his own past experiences with the state, particularly a troubled project on Balsam Street.

“I want you to be prepared,” Bennett said. “I’m willing to see it through as long as I’m here … I don’t want to give you any false hope.”

Asked what they should tell their compatriots as far as an update, Bennett reiterated he had passed the petition along to Helena.

“Just tell them it is in the state’s hands,” he said.