I-15 interchange improvements considered

Significant changes are needed for Interstate 15 between Gore Hill and Emerson Junction and some of the roads that feed into those interchanges.

The Montana Department of Transportation began a corridor study last summer and last week released a draft study report, including improvement options and cost estimates. The study is in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration and in coordination with the Great Falls Metropolitan Planning Organization, which includes city and county representation.

MDT hosted a public meeting last fall and incorporated comments from that meeting into the draft report that examines I-15 between Gore Hill and Emerson Junction interchanges, as well as I-315 and 10th Avenue South west of the river.

On Thursday, MDT is hosting the second meeting with a presentation on the report followed by a question and answer period.

According to MDT, the purpose of the meeting is to present the recommended options and gather community feedback.

The draft report has identified improvement options based on improving safety; accommodating existing and future capacity demands; and provide for mobility of people and freight.

The planning-level study is not a design or construction project.

Those improvement recommendations include adding a southbound auxiliary line between Gore Hill and 10th Avenue South interchanges for an estimated $1.9 million.

Over the 5-year study analysis period, there were 26 reported crashes in the southbound lanes between those interchanges. Of those, 10 involved multiple vehicles and 11 involved a fixed object. The steep grade and high volume of traffic between those interchanges causes varying vehicle types and speeds, as well as vehicles weaving between lanes, according to MDT.

The report also recommends a long-term project to reconstruct I-15 between mile marker 282.2 and 285.9 if the short term fixes don’t address existing crash trends for an estimated $24 million.

The midterm fix for that area is to add lights around Emerson Junction, which is Exit 282, for about $500,000.

Better signage, auxiliary lanes reconstructing on and off ramps are among the other recommended improvements.

The study also recommends a feasibility study for the Gore Hill interchange for further analysis on possible reconfigurations of those intersections.

The project is a yearlong study that was identified as a need in the 2014 Great Falls Area Long Range Transportation Plan.

Some of the initial considerations for I-15 include the average annual daily traffic volume that ranges between 5,950 vehicles per day north of Central Avenue to 14,670 vehicles per day north of Gore Hill. Speed differences exist between passenger and heavy vehicles, according to MDT data.

I-315 has an average annual daily traffic volume of 15,140 vehicles west of 14th Street Southwest and 24,630 vehicles west of Fox Farm Road. Some ramp spacing and geometric characteristics do not meet existing standards, according to the MDT.

Drivers at the intersections at the Gore Hill Interchange and the intersection at the Central Avenue interchange, along with the intersection of Central Avenue and Vaughn Road, experience excessive delays during the evening peak hour. Drivers at the intersection of Fox Farm Road and 10th Avenue South also experience excessive delay during the peak hours, according to MDT data.

Between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2013, there were 525 crashes reported in the corridor study area. Four resulted in fatalities and eight resulted in incapacitating injuries. Thirty-two percent of the crashes were the result of careless driving; 14 percent involved alcohol or drugs, according to MDT data.

There were 178 rear-end collisions and 138 collisions involving a fixed object.

Corridor studies typically identify a package of options, eliminate options that aren't viable and identify improvement options, according to the MDT. Then those options go through the project development process to make any improvements to the interstate corridor and interchanges.

Want to go?

When: Thursday

Time: 6 p.m.

Where: Gibson Room at the Civic Center, 2 Park Drive S.

Read the full draft report here: www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/i15

Comments and concerns may be submitted in writing at the meeting; by mail to Corrina Collins, project manager, MDT Statewide and Urban Planning, P.O. Box 201001, Helena, MT 59620-1001; or online at www.mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml.

Interested parties are encouraged to join the study mailing list by submitting their names and contact information to Scott Randall at: scottr@rpa-hln.com.

If you require reasonable accommodations to participate in this meeting, call Scott Randall at 447-5000 at least two days before the meeting. For the hearing impaired, the TTY number is 444-7696 or 1-800-335-7592, or call Montana Relay at 711. Alternative accessible formats of this information will be provided upon request.