Boost in Back Road traffic worries residents
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Commuters from Polson to Ronan have discovered Back Road as a way to quickly move from town to town. With its transformation from gravel to asphalt, Back Road has become a major traffic conduit; however, some Back Road residents aren’t pleased with the increased traffic or the speed of that traffic.
Carl Eckdahl lives on Back Road, and his concern is drivers going too fast and driving recklessly. When Eckdahl puts on his turn signal to pull into his place, he said cars just whiz on around him.
When neighbors were moving cows a couple of weeks ago, drivers weren’t slowing down. They were just pulling around the cows, always a dangerous thing to do.
Trude Hunsucker also lives on Back Road and said, “It’s a speedway.”
Neighbor Frances Abbey said she hasn’t had any problems.
“I’d say I haven’t noticed anybody doing anything crazy — passing on a double yellow line or drag racing …” she said.
The only speed limit signs are on the Polson end of Back Road — 70 miles per hour for regular traffic with a 65 mph limit for trucks.
Eckdahl would like to see the speed set between 45 and 50 mph.
“People are going to go 60 then,” he noted.
In July, the Montana Department of Transportation completed a traffic study on Back Road using tapes and hoses across the road to count motorists, record speed and determine how fast the majority of traffic is going.
“The guys take a look at what speed 85 percent of the traffic is traveling,” Lori Ryan, MDT Public Information Office said, as well as other data, and then returned the study to Lake County to approve or request changes.
The Lake County Commissioners approved the traffic study, which set the speed at 65 mph unless otherwise posted. Following final approval from the Montana Transportation Commission, one portion of the road will have a lower speed limit, Lake County Commission Paddy Trusler said. The speed study is now on its way back to the MTC, whose next monthly meeting is set for 10 a.m. Nov. 17 in Helena.
