Letter to the Editor: Walking and Bicycle Pathways
Author: Al Christopherson, BCDC Trails Committee
Walking and Bicycle Pathways
Public Comment Letter from Broadwater County Development Corp. – Trails Committee
Broadwater County Commissioners meeting 11-7-2023
Agenda topic: MDOT highways and bridges
Dear Commissioners and MDOT representatives:
The Broadwater County Development Corp. has identified walking and bicycle pathways as a current need as well as meeting future needs of Broadwater County residents. A committee has been established to look at the health, safety, community use and recreational use of trails to develop a master plan to propose locations, issues, design standards and financing opportunities to develop these trails. The committee has established a preliminary set of priority trails to begin a more in-depth effort at getting them established. We anticipate that after some public open houses and meetings and further refinement having a draft plan completed by early 2024.
The committee’s work so far has surfaced several trail-related items that we would like to bring to your attention dealing with highways and bridges. Specifically, the Missouri River bridge on the north edge of Townsend requires a walkway. Additionally, there are three main highway segments the committee has prioritized that include highway Right-of-Way (ROW) use, trail design and funding of Highway 287/12 from Townsend to the Silos Road, Highway 12 from Townsend to the Broadwater County Fairgrounds and Highway 287 from Townsend to Toston. There are other long-term roadside ROW to be considered but these are the ones the committee has proposed to focus on for now.
Missouri River Bridge at Townsend, approximately 500 feet
This bridge is considered by our committee as the single barricade to the development of safe and usable trails accessing all trail opportunities north of the bridge in Broadwater County. The community views the bridge as unsafe for pedestrians and most bikers do not want or like to use it because of narrow shoulders and the 55 mph speeds. Pedestrians do not cross it because of safety fears. Children are not allowed in most cases to cross that bridge. The bridge has a paved trail from downtown Townsend to the Indian Creek campground and a gravel-surfaced trail on the north side that ties into various trails segments and types that lead all the way to the Silos and even further to Winston and several access points developing neighborhoods and to the Elkhorns and Canyon Ferry Lake. Without the development of a pedestrian walkway with this bridge, all trail development north of it cannot tie to Townsend nor Townsend residents to anything north of the bridge. This is a critical piece of hike/bike transit through Broadwater County.
Highway 287/12 Townsend north to Silos and Antelope Road junction, approximately 6.2 miles
This section of highway has been identified as a priority by the committee for several reasons. It would allow residents from all the subdivisions on both sides of the highway a way to access the lake and Townsend and vice versa. We need a safe trail system, properly designed and constructed that would allow and, in fact, encourage residents to use it safely. This could involve a dual trail system on both sides of the highway with underpasses at both ends that allow users to cross under the to be built 4-5 lane highway and not have to try to cross it. The number of deaths on this section of highway already highlights the need to keep people off of it and away from the shoulders.
Highway 12 Townsend to the Fairgrounds
This trail would stretch from Harrison Street on the eastern edge of Townsend along the north side of the highway to the main entrance to the fairgrounds, approximately 1.5 miles. This trail would allow town residents to access the fairgrounds without trying to walk in the undeveloped roadsides or walk/ride their bikes on a very narrow highway shoulder. This trail would facilitate access to the fairgrounds by people desiring to walk/ride and get exercise or people staying at the fairgrounds and wanting a no-vehicular avenue to access Townsend. Mr. Gates has seen this proposed segment on the ground. We believe this trail will provide a great community use trail to enhance attendance at fairground activities as well as family exercise and wellness use.
Highway 287 Townsend to Toston, approximately 9.9 miles
This is a route sought by many people as it accesses two communities and makes a longer segment than other trail segments. It would or could utilize existing highway ROW. If the segments that are not yet 4-5 lanes get developed, we feel inclusion of a safe trail system is warranted. The highway portion would also tie to many other identified routes of existing county roads that make this a very appealing route and will again keep walkers/bikers off the high-speed road. This road is a very high-speed segment and it keeps people from using the area.
Other long-term highway ROW use segments
The committee’s vision of the county trail network would include the use of Highways 287 and Highway 12 clear across the county lines, use of Highway 285 from Toston to Radersburg, Highway 437 from Highways 285 to 12, Highway 284 from Highway 12 north to Broadwater County line.
We believe that as highways are upgraded to handle heavier and faster traffic flows that a commensurate hike/bike adjacent trail system must be part of the upgrade design and cost as a safety and life-saving component. A design that merely includes an 8-foot shoulder on a new 4-5 lane highway does not create a safe travel route for hike/bikers, especially since a 4-5 lane roadway is identical to the nearby interstate highway that has an 80-mph speed limit. Drivers turning onto the state 4-5 lane highway drive it the same, so the increased speeds negate usability of the shoulder usage by hike/bikers.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide input into MDOT and Broadwater County alternative transportation systems associated with the existing highway system and potential upgrades to it.
Sincerely, BCDC Trails Committee
Al Christophersen, representative
