By Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
From the end of May until the kids go back to school, the roadways in the Flathead Valley are full of automobiles of all makes and models, many of which are touting out-of-state or Canadian license plates.
Summer is heavy tourism season in the valley, and while airport statistics show more people are flying into the Flathead than ever, the roads and highways are clogged with cars, trucks, RVs, bicycles, motorcycles, and other modes of wheeled travel.
With the understanding that this traffic volume isn’t likely going to decrease in the summers anytime soon, city, county, and state officials are discussing plans for the future of these roadways and how to keep them drivable.
City Level
In Whitefish, city officials and other stakeholders in the tourism industry, including businesses, have started the process of drafting a Sustainable Tourism Master Plan, which would help the city map out how it wants to manage increased tourism.
“It’s not about growing tourism,” said Whitefish Public Works Director Craig Workman. “We’re trying to manage it in a responsible manner.”
Workman is part of the group discussing the plan, which will have public meetings again starting in September, and works on the subcommittee on traffic, congestion, and transportation.
Already, the Montana Department of Transportation has plans to continue working on the Whitefish U.S. 93 Urban Corridor Study, which looks to address the downtown environment, as well as local and through-traffic needs. The plan will explore improvement options for Highway 93 through the city, along with other streets with high traffic.
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