Department of Transportation needs public comment for wetland project
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ST. IGNATIUS – Before the new highway expansion project is finished, a debt must be paid to the environment.
“There have been some identified wetlands that will be impacted where we will construct the highway,” said Missoula District Administrator Ed Toavs for the Montana Department of Transportation.
The expansion project on U.S. Highway 93 between Evaro and Polson has been done in phases over the past decade, and the last section is in the design stage. The unfinished stretch runs through Ronan starting south of Pablo to the Post Creek Hill section. Construction won’t begin until sometime around 2020 if the project stays on track.
The road construction project will damage wetland areas along the highway, so the department of transportation has to earn credits for that damage by repairing wetland areas in other places.
“First, we consider whether we can restore those areas (near the construction site) and sometimes we can but usually not by much,” he said.
The department has a section of land south of St. Ignatius on Repass Trail identified as a wetland area that could be restored sometime in 2017 so the department can get those credits.
“The project will cost between $600,000 and $700,000,” he said adding that the Department of Transportation pays the bill.
The easiest way to get to the property is by taking St. Mary’s Lake Road up to Chalwain Road and then turn onto Repass Trail. The 60-acre property can be seen after following the second bend in the road. The parcel is located on what is known as the Johnson Property on section 25 of Township 18 North at Range 20 West.
The department must seek public comment pertaining to the proposed wetland mitigation project before restoration can begin, and they are asking for comment as soon as possible.
“We want to get started on this so we can have the credits available before we start the highway project,” he said.
Those comments can include anything from suggestions to opinions. Submit comments to the Montana Department of Transportation at P.O. Box 7039, Missoula, MT 59807-7039, or online at www.mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml. Toavs welcomes phone calls at 406-523-5802.
The property on Repass Trail was chosen because it fits the department’s criteria required to get mitigation credits.
“The area needs to be a wetland and it needs to be for sale,” said Montana Department of Transportation Missoula District Preconstruction Engineer Shane Stack. And this isn’t the department’s first wetland project.
“The Department of Transportation owns a lot of wetlands,” he said. “The agency does roads and also wetlands. They also continue to maintain the area for things like weeds and fencing.”
Once the department is finished collecting public comment for the wetland project, they can move onto the design phase before contractors can bid on the work. The United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are tasked with inspecting the site and administering the credits once the project is finished.
“Our goal for this project is to bank 20 credits,” Toavs said.
In a few years, the mitigation credits can be cashed in on the highway project. The Post Creek section will get an additional passing lane on the northbound side. The Ronan section near the Jore Corporation will turn into four lanes. But the section through the Ninepipe Wildlife Refuge will remain a two-lane highway.
“Ninepipe is one of the more sensitive environmental areas in the state with the wetland habitat, water reservoir and kettle ponds,” he said adding that people have been asking about that area as far as traffic for decades. “We have to be very careful about the impact to that area and really confine the road project.”
The hope is that the passing lanes in other areas will help with the flow of traffic, especially during the summer months.
“It’s a balance to protect the environment and safety concerns of the traveling public,” Toavs said.
