History of The Peoples Way

A story of trust, commitment, and new ways of doing business

Reconstruction of a typical highway project takes somewhere around seven years for the improved road to be in place. So why did it take more than 20 years to move forward needed safety improvements on US 93 from Evaro to Polson? Therein lies the story of The Peoples Way, not only a good story, but a story of lessons for the future. Lessons of trust and collaboration; lessons of blending new technology with traditional values; lessons of new ways for governments to do business; lessons of designing roads in context-sensitive areas; and lessons of people working hand-in-hand.

It's the story of a sovereign nation, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation (CSKT), saying "No" to the state of Montana and the federal government. It's the story of "Spirit of Place" and the many people who worked so hard to make The Peoples Way a road responding to the way of its people.

Finally, it's the story of highway safety.

The Beginning

US 93 traverses the Flathead Indian Nation located on the west side of the Rocky Mountains in one of the most beautiful valleys in western Montana. The Flathead Valley on the north and the Mission Mountains on the east border the area. It is not only inhabited by the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d' Oreille people, but also by wildlife such as the grizzly bear, white-tailed deer, mule deer, pronghorn, elk, western painted turtles, bighorn sheep, and many migratory fish and birds.

In the early 1980s, US 93 was in need of safety improvements to accommodate increased local growth, as well as burgeoning tourism, as Montanans traveled to recreate on Flathead Lake and travelers from across the world flocked to Glacier National Park at the northern end of US 93.

The Montana Department of Transportation approached the safety need in its traditional way, finding an engineering solution to issues facing this part of Montana. Like most good transportation agencies, MDT recommended a proven approach that would meet anticipated growth for the next 20 years - a four-lane highway cutting across the Flathead Nation. When MDT and the Federal Highway Administration completed Environmental Assessments for the corridor, a four-lane solution similar to the highway north and south of Missoula on US 93 was proposed.

What to MDT was just another road project to be completed in a timely and efficient manner was much more to the CSKT. Perhaps Tribal Cultural Spokesman Tony Incashola summarized tribal concerns best:

"Traditions teach that land, wildlife, and people are all deeply connected. A highway is not just a highway. Decisions about the highway are decisions about the land, made for seven generations of people that belong to it."

Incashola has lost two family members to accidents on US 93.

CSKT believed the Environmental Assessments did not sufficiently assess the impact of the proposed road improvements. CSKT also held a different view on what needed to be assessed - they held that the impact assessment needed not only to incorporate safety, but also landscape, culture, wildlife, and growth.

A coalition of tribal respected elders appealed to the Tribal Council - some in person, others whose views had been memorialized on film - to reject the proposed four-lane design based on concerns that the approach would spur unnecessary development on the Flathead Nation while doing more than was necessary to adequately provide safety.

Not surprisingly, the Tribal Council rejected the recommendation for a four-lane road from Evaro to Polson.

Not Your Father's Highway

These events made it clear that moving forward with improvements to US 93 from Evaro to Polson could no longer follow the traditional process. Instead, a new process that would forge a collective vision among three sovereign governments was necessary. A collective vision that brought together the needs to accommodate safety, landscape, culture, and wildlife were all prerequisites.

The fundamental premise that "the road is a visitor" that responds to, and is respectful of, the Sprit of Place became the key issue in the negotiations, for it was a concept that included more than just the road and adjacent areas - it consisted of the surrounding mountains, plains, hills, forest, valley, sky and paths of waters, glaciers, winds, plants, animals, and native peoples.

Understanding and respecting Spirit of Place provided inspiration and guidance that ultimately led to design solutions uniquely suited to the special qualities of tribal lands.

The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that was the result of many years of negotiations represents an unprecedented level of environmental protection in road design and a new cooperative attitude among state, federal and tribal interests. Instead of cutting across the scenic landscape in a straight line, the reconstructed highway responds to cultural and natural resources to give the motorists new perspectives on the land and its inhabitants.

The unique approach - in both consensus building and design considerations - has been called "a new era in Montana highway construction" by then Governor Judy Martz and "Not your father's highway project" by John Strommes for the the Missoulian.

Rebuilding Trust - A Prerequisite to Rebuilding a Road

The process of starting over began again in the late 1990s when then CSKT Tribal Chairman Mickey Pablo re-energized discussions because of his concern over safety.

This is when the story of The Peoples Way really became about people.

Newly elected Governor Marc Racicot brought together a new team led by MDT Director Marvin Dye and committed to finding a solution. Dye's team on US 93 included MDT Deputy Director Jim Currie, Environmental Services Manager (later Chief Engineer) Joel Marshik, and Missoula District Administrator Loran Frazier, a new administrator with a new and different perspective.

Mickey Pablo also brought a new team instrumental in moving negotiations forward, including tribal members Joe Moran, then of the Tribal Council in the Arlee District; Lloyd Irvine, Tribal Council member of the Pablo District; Ron Trahan, Tribal Council member of the St. Ignatius District; Joe Hovenkotter, the Tribe's legal council; Lewis YellowRobe, Transportation Planner; Dale Becker, Wildlife Program Manager; Mary Price, Wetlands Ecologist; Marcia Pablo, Preservation Office Director; and Tony Incashola, Salish Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee for CSKT.

These people, along with FWHA’S Janice Brown, Montana Division Administrator, and Dale Paulson, Program Development Engineer finally established an atmosphere of trust and respect that paved the way to an agreement on what is now one of the most unique highway projects ever undertaken in the U.S.

These new representatives agreed that a process in which all parties could openly and honestly talk was necessary and they would use this process to develop an MOA about US 93. They also agreed that the MOA would serve as a living design for the road. To facilitate that process, the three governments called upon teams of consultants, including Skillings & Connolly Engineers, Midwest Research Institute, Jones & Jones Architects, and Landscape Architects, to help facilitate discussions and assist the parties in understanding one another. Together, this group hammered out the unique positions of all parties, resulting in a 3-inch thick document weighing 2 pounds. The MOA ultimately became the new beginning necessary to forge a collective vision for US 93 from Evaro to Polson.

We needed everyone involved to understand how the Salish and Kootenai people relate to the land, said Kevin Howlett. "We needed them to understand that we see the road as a visitor that should respond to and be respectful of the land and the 'Spirit of Place'.”

The "Spirit of Place"

Understanding the "Spirit of Place" - the whole continuum of what is seen, touched, felt and traveled through - provides inspiration and guidance and leads to design solutions uniquely suited to the special qualities of the place.

With the Spirit of Place in mind initial goals were established in the process:

• Develop an understanding of the land and the relationship the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d' Oreille people have with the land
• Find ways the land can shape or influence the road
• Develop concepts that respect the integrity and character of the place, people, and wildlife
• Restore habitat areas that have been fragmented by the road and surrounding development
• Respect and restore the way of life in small communities along the road
• Create a better visitor understanding of the place that the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d' Oreille people call their homeland

Paramount throughout the process was the enormous safety concern for travelers on US 93. According to data from MDT's traffic and safety bureau, the segment of US 93 from Evaro to Polson ranks among Montana's most dangerous sections of road. In four of the past nine years, for example, deaths on US 93 from Evaro to Polson accounted for anywhere from 4.5 percent to 5.2 percent of all Montana highway fatalities - and this stretch is only 56.3 of over 69,000 public road miles in the state.

Many members of the tribe know too well the importance of safety; several have lost family members to the highway, and the number of deaths would continue to mount during the planning stages, always urging the three governments ahead.

The MOA signed on December 20, 2000 is still the living document and guideline by which all issues are discussed and decisions made. MOA signatories included D. Fred Matt, CSKT, Chairman, Tribal Council; Marv Dye, then Director of the MDT; Dave Galt, incoming Director of MDT; and Janice Brown, FHWA's Montana Division Administrator.

This collective vision of the people known as The Peoples Way, is a testament to the collaborative efforts of these men and women - and many, many more -- who stood back from their own self interests and created a truly unique highway building process and road. The US 93 project is a progressive and unprecedented collaboration of native peoples and governments, one that can be duplicated in highway projects across the United States.

When The Peoples Way is completed in 2009, it will be among the most context-sensitive highways in the U.S. It will not only reflect the Spirit of Place, but as a visitor, the road will allow for the rebirth of native grasses, plants and shrubs along the corridor; the protection of all of the wildlife living on the Flathead Nation; and the safety of visitors and residents who pass through this land daily and on occasion.

"The Peoples Way will set a new standard for highways everywhere, not just in Montana," said Jim Currie of this unique, first-of-its-kind project.