MDT's Tooley to speak at Highway 2 meeting

A group pushing to upgrade U.S. Highway 2 through Montana is calling on as many Hi-Liners as possible to attend its annual meeting to hear from a prominent guest: The director of the Montana Department of Transportation that oversees maintenance, repairs and upgrades of Montana’s highways.

Montana Highway 2 Association Vice President Bob Kaul said Wednesday that Mike Tooley will update people about the plans MDT has for work on the highway.

“We are pleased that Director Tooley will be the guest speaker as he is our connection to Gov. Steve Bullock …,” Kaul said. “An adequate transportation system has never been more important than now. Energy development and a strong ag sector has increased traffic dramatically on No. 2.”

The meeting is set at the Cottonwood Inn in Glasgow Friday, Oct. 17. A luncheon is scheduled for noon with Tooley expected to speak about 12:30 p.m., with a business meeting of the association to follow.

“I’m hoping that we have a great turnout for Director Tooley,” Kaul added. “We want to convey a clear message that the people in northern Montana are engaged, we are contributing to the state surplus, and we are asking for the same consideration that the rest of the state gets.”

The association formed after former state Sen. Sam Kitzenberg of Glasgow passed — with concessions to the MDT director at the time — Senate Bill 3 requiring MDT to widen Highway 2 to four lanes across the state, a project given the logo “4 for 2.”

At the request of MDT, Kitzenberg included a provision that only money federally earmarked for four-laning Highway 2 could be used in the expansion, with the state not allowed to budget its normal highway appropriations for four-lane Highway 2 projects. Former state Sen. Ken “Kim” Hansen of Harlem later had that requirement removed.

The first project proposed on widening the highway was studying Highway 2 from Havre to Fort Belknap. MDT endorsed and the Federal Highway Administration approved improving the section to a wider two-lane with passing and turning lane configuration.

The second phase of that project, from Havre to Pork Chop Hill just east of town, is nearly complete and the third phase, extending it from a completed section 10 miles east of Havre to the edge of Chinook, is in the works.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer took a different approach, proposing extending the four-lane configuration of Highway 2 that has been completed in North Dakota through Montana.

The first of those projects, from the North Dakota border to Culbertson, is underway. In the first phase of the project, a new two-lane section is completed from the border to the town of Bainville, partway to Culbertson. MDT is working on finalizing right-of-way acquisition and engineering to build a second set of lanes that will complete the four-lane configuration to Bainville.

The meeting in Glasgow includes a $15 lunch of a prime rib sandwich, grilled asparagus, potatoes, salad and dessert.

People planning to attend are asked to RSPV by Monday, Oct. 13, online at [email protected] or by calling 262-2346.

Online: Montana Highway 2 Association website: http://www.hwy2mt.org.