Overview
For nearly 20 years, the future of US 93 from Evaro to Polson was the subject of spirited debate, as safety, capacity, culture, wildlife, and landscape seemed to be competing needs.
It was not until the three governments involved came to the negotiating table as equal partners that they were able to agree upon an approach that met everyone’s unique needs.Together, the Montana Department of Transportation, the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation, and the Federal Highway Administration united to create one of the nation’s most “context-sensitive” roads.
Unlike a typical road improvement project, US 93 is part of the National Highway System that runs through the Flathead Indian Nation, homeland to the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d’ Oreille Tribes.
After years of distrust and conflicting views, all three governments signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in December 2000. It detailed the design considerations, wildlife crossings, and signage that are needed to assure the highway will fit into the landscape and Spirit of Place -- the whole continuum of what is seen, touched, felt and traveled through --while providing safety for the motoring public. The MOA provides guidance on protecting cultural, aesthetic, recreational, and natural resources along the highway.
Among the highway’s many progressive features are more than 40 wildlife crossings designed to accommodate natural routes of animal migration for migratory fish, turtles, deer, grizzly bears, and many other animals. The Peoples Way is setting a new standard for migration of wildlife near highways.
The Peoples Way is currently being realigned to fit into the existing landscape. The road takes in the mountain vistas with the Mission Mountains as a backdrop, and the new road preserves the native plants and grasses. CSKT is experimenting with growth of native grasses, shrubs and trees in their state-of-the-art greenhouse to ensure native flora is replaced in areas disturbed by construction.
Cultural, safety and environmental training is provided by the MDT, CSKT, and FHWA for all contractors and staff working on The Peoples Way throughout the construction process to ensure quality of work and commitment to the Spirit of Place.
When The Peoples Way is completed in 2009, it will be among the most context-sensitive highways in the United States. It will not only reflect the Spirit of Place, but will allow the rebirth of native grasses, plants, and shrubs along the corridor; the protection of all wildlife living in the Flathead Nation; and the safety of visitors and residents who pass through this land.
