Transportation commission considers waiving match on Malta project

The Montana Transportation Commission said Thursday during its meeting in Havre that it will look at a request to waive a match requirement for a Malta project that was proposed before the match was required.

Laura Pankratz of Malta Trails Inc. spoke to the commission about funding for a 1-mile pedestrian and bike path in Malta.

Pankratz said the nonprofit has been working with the Malta government for the past 10 years, taking pride in the community, and is getting a lot done for the pedestrians in the area. She said that they have already built two pedestrian bridges, one leading to the high school and one leading to the the elementary school. Pankratz added that this was done because U.S. Highway 191 and U.S. Highway 2 pass through the town and these bridges provide safety for the pedestrian.

One of the projects that still needs funding, though, she said, is a path set aside from Highway 2. Pankratz said that the town originally planned this project before legislation passed that requires the city to match the funds for a project, and that the city of Malta is financially unable to match the $75,000 that is being requested.

Dwane Kailey, chief engineer for Montana Department of Transportation, said the priority should be to preserve existing sidewalks and paths rather than building new infrastructure. He added that it was the city's responsibility for maintenance of these paths and sidewalks.

Pankratz said that they have maintained Malta's sidewalks and paths very well, and they only want a 1-mile long path to avoid children being injured by fast-moving vehicles. She added that when they planned the project there was no match program and that they lack the funds for the project. With the Highway 2 speed limit being 60 miles an hour by the city, children may be injured if the path is not put into place, she said.

Malta Mayor John Demarais said he has worked with Pankratz for a number of years and that Malta is in need of this path.

"Kids are more important than anything," he said.

Demarais added that, the other day, he was heading out to go fishing when he almost hit two children who were crossing the road. He said the department can add all the traffic signs they want, but the risk of children being injured or killed wont go away as long as no safe path for pedestrians exists.

Val Wilson, staff attorney, told the committee that, in some cases, the committee is allowed to wave the match funding.

Malta resident John Carnahan, thanked Pankratz and Demarais for their contribution to the community. He said that they "are doing it because of the love of their community and their county."

Carnahan said that the match program was not put in place at the time the project plan was made and that the Malta community has taken good care of their walkways. He added that a lot of children ride their bikes or walk to town and that this pathway is just another way of keeping the children of Malta safe.

Commissioner Carol Lambert said the main issue is that Malta's project plan was made five years ago, before the match program was established, and that Malta has no way of paying the $75,000 needed to now fund the project.

Kailey said that the committee should talk about the subject internally and come back to this in the future.

The commission also discussed the possibility of changing speed limits statewide.

MDT Director Mike Tooley said a priority of ending the different speeds for trucks and passenger vehicles needs further investigation. Tooley said that there has been success in the past, such as on U.S. Highway 16 between Glendive and Sidney, where the department has seen a substantial drop in crash rates with the speed limit reduced to 65 miles an hour.

"It doesn't save you any time, really, to be driving 70 (mph) versus 65 (mph) especially when you encounter a slower moving vehicle," Tooley added.

Tooley said that they are currently talking about making it the same speed on highways statewide, and the trucker association will be in support of the change as well. Tooley added that it is the right thing to do and that it is worth trying.

Commissioner Greg Jergeson said people would not be happy about the change.

The commission also heard about an issue of Billings doing projects without approval of the committee.

Tooley said that Billings has budgeted $6.8 million for a project not approved by the commission, adding that MDT will try to get them to come back into compliance with the law, and bring them before the committee for concurrence.

He said that this might be a result from some confusion due to some of the routes being maintained by Billings on MDT's behalf. Because of that, they might not think they need the commission's approval for these projects, he said.

Tooley said the issue will again be raised at the commission's August meeting, and he added that there is no plan at present to apply for a cease and desist order, but this topic needs further discussion.