Here's the text of a letter prepared by the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce seeking comment from its members about whether to support a study for a four-lane section of the highway near Havre.
The county commissioners of both Hill and Blaine counties are seeking comment from their constitutents on the matter.
At the request of the Hill County Commissioners, the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce has been asked to solicit input from its membership on the future of U.S. Highway 2.
Please answer the question below and FAX your response NO LATER THAN NOON ON MONDAY, FEB. 11. The FAX number is 265-7748.
Through Montana's congressional delegation, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) was recently awarded $1.8 million to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the possibility of expanding U.S. Highway 2 to four lanes. It is generally recognized that the EIS will be conducted on the stretch of Highway 2 between Havre and Harlem.
Also, the MDT has tentatively scheduled three construction projects between Havre and Harlem over the next six years that will widen and improve Highway 2, to a 40-foot surface. The total cost of these three projects is approximately $32 million.
Federal law dictates that if it is decided to proceed with the EIS, all work on the three highway projects mentioned above must cease. Therefore, which of these options do you prefer?
Please check only one option.
OPTION ONE:
________________ Proceed with the EIS on U.S. Highway 2 between Havre and Harlem as a first step in the potential development of a four-lane highway.
OR
OPTION TWO:
________________ Proceed with the development of currently scheduled construction projects that widen and improve U.S. Highway 2 between Havre and Harlem.
