Mark Grotbo, CEO and general manager at Ravalli Electric Cooperative, has long wanted a traffic light at the intersection of Highway 93 and Bell Crossing near the company’s facility south of Missoula. Most of REC’s 34 employees pass through the dangerous intersection multiple times a day while servicing customers throughout the Bitterroot Valley, and for Grotbo, the intersection — the site of multiple accidents over the years, including a fatality in 2023 — has been an ongoing concern.
“One of my staff pulled somebody from a burning vehicle out there,” said Grotbo, noting that an ambulance was called to another accident at the intersection just the day prior to a recent interview with Montana Free Press.
“We are very supportive of a light,” said Grotbo, insisting that he has been pressuring the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) to install one since 2017. But, Grotbo said, one thing he never wanted was the multi-lane roundabout, which MDT says it will construct in the spring or summer of 2025.
Grotbo insists that if safety were truly MDT’s concern, it could address it by installing a traffic light on the highway — where the speed limit is 70 mph — far faster than the time it would take to install a roundabout, and with far less expense. MDT acknowledges that a roundabout would cost more to build, about $8.5 million, but would save money in the long run. MDT also maintains that both options would take approximately the same amount of time to design and build. But Grotbo feels as though his concerns, and those of others who likewise oppose the roundabout, aren’t being heard by MDT. And while MDT held three informational open houses at the Stevensville High School in July and August to explain the project’s funding, engineering and timeframe, Grotbo still isn’t convinced.
“Their sessions aren’t listening sessions; they’re trying to convince and sell the thing. It’s not conducive to taking comments,” he said. When asked if he had heard any support for the proposed roundabout, his response was simple: “Zero, other than MDT’s.”
Bob Vosen, MDT’s Region 1 district administrator, said that he knows that “change can be difficult,” but he disagrees that the majority of people in the valley are against the plan.
“I’ve had people tell me that they think this is a good idea and I’ve had people question my intelligence for even suggesting it, and everything in between.”
Vosen added that the vocal opposition to the Bell Crossing roundabout tracks with every other roundabout he’s seen developed in Montana over the last several years. He compared it to a similar roundabout on Highway 2, west of Kalispell, which was also installed on a 70-mph stretch of highway.
“There was a lot of concern about it,” he said. “It’s been in place for several years now, and in that time period I’ve gotten one complaint.”
A traffic study of the Bell Crossing intersection conducted by MDT showed that half of the crashes were T-bone accidents. In the four years since the study’s completion, eight more crashes have occurred, including the fatality. After analyzing the results, MDT concluded that a roundabout would give the intersection the highest level of service and safety, reducing fatal crashes by 90% and overall crashes by 37%.
Despite MDT’s explanations, tension in the community seems to hinge upon personal preference and lack of say.
One vocal group has been collecting petitions to stop the roundabout at more than a dozen retail stores in the valley. Their primary arguments are that a roundabout is inappropriate for snow and ice and for those pulling trailers who will use it. Frustrations are also being shared on a private Facebook page, which aims to be an apolitical clearinghouse for information about the roundabout. While the page does provide some facts, it has also become a forum for venting dissatisfaction and occasional conspiracy theories.
In one post, Bill Lussenheide Sr., a Ravalli County Republican Central committeeman, suggested politics are behind the roundabout, calling it “woke” and writing that it represents a plot to inject “liberal ideology into the heart of Ravalli County.” His group recently was gathering signatures for an anti-roundabout petition at its booth at the Ravalli County Fair.
When another Facebook user expressed disdain for politicizing the issue, Lussenheide and others pushed back, referring to the roundabout as an “authoritarian mandate,” and questioning why residents don’t get the opportunity to vote on the proposed infrastructure. Lussenheide declined MTFP’s request for comment.
Republican Theresa Manzella, the state senator for District 44, has also actively opposed the roundabout, helping to organize a float for the county’s fair’s kickoff parade, which encouraged people to “say no to the roundabout,” and offered to deliver the signed petitions to the state Capitol. On a Facebook post, Manzella wrote, “Just say WHOA to the big government runaway!”
Vocal supporters of the roundabout seem reluctant to show their heads, but Warren Neyenhuis of Hamilton is unabashed. “I am a roundabout fan,” he said at the MDT open house at Stevensville High School on Aug. 29. Neyenhuis said the sobering statistics on accidents at the intersection confirmed his opinion.
“If there’s something that can obviate that, why wouldn’t we support it?” he asked.
At the same open house, however, David and Barbara Garten listened intently as MDT engineer Tyrel Murfitt explained the function and rationale behind the roundabout, but they weren’t convinced.
“This was a very good session to talk one-on-one with the engineers,” Barbara Garten said, but she added that she would still prefer a traffic signal. Suggesting that it might be due to her age, she added, “I’m not comfortable with roundabouts.”
David Garten said the proposed roundabout is MDT’s effort to, “make everything we do in life idiot-proof.”
Meanwhile, at the county fair, representatives of the Ravalli County Republican Central Committee, like Jan Wisniewski, continued to gather signatures on the petitions. Wisniewski’s opposition centers around the difficulties that he anticipates for road maintenance.
“I know several plow drivers, and they don’t like it,” he said. When asked if he’d presented his concerns to MDT or attended one of the open houses, he replied, “No, I did not.”
In the end, however, the petitions against the roundabout are headed to Helena, and the most vocal opponents have arranged to meet with Ravalli County commissioners on Sept. 25 in hopes of galvanizing their opposition as well.
Vosen with MDT said that construction of the roundabout isn’t “a foregone conclusion, but I would say that MDT is charged with providing a safe transportation network for Montana. One thing we can’t do is to allow safety decisions to become a popularity contest. It can’t come to a public vote.”
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