On the doorstep of another construction season, transportation issues took center stage Tuesday at a Kalispell Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

A panel identified key local projects and talked about programs. The underlying theme was how transportation projects receive — or don’t receive — money, starting from the federal government.

“As a large, rural, low-population-density state, we’re very dependent on the federal program,” said Lynn Zanto, a planning administrator for the Montana Department of Transportation. “That’s what drives construction in our state.”

Part of Zanto’s job is to help prioritize projects when federal allocations come to the state from Washington, D.C. She said that Montana has among the highest per-capita contributions to the federal highway fund. With a low population, transportation dollars collected by the state generally go toward routine maintenance.

In 2014, the department awarded more than $350 million in federal money for 132 projects. 

Zanto said that a big challenge moving forward is to examine the gas tax system that feeds most of the federal highway fund. As vehicles continue to use less fuel on the road, fewer gas tax dollars flow into the mix.

Other panelists spoke about funding and projects on a local level. 

Kalispell Planning and Building Director Tom Jentz said that the city’s main transportation infrastructure fund generates about $700,000 per year. And with road projects in the $20 million to $30 million range, major jobs don’t come often. 

“We can’t afford to let funding slip,” he said. “We can’t afford to let time slip.”

The last large urban-aid project, Meridian Road, was completed in 2009. 

Upcoming for the city is an extension of Four Mile Drive, including an interchange that will tie into the proposed U.S. 93 bypass. 

Speaking of the U.S. 93 bypass, the state transportation department hopes to begin work this year on remaining segments of the bypass. A corridor of land has been acquired that winds from Old Reserve Drive to the existing bypass at U.S. 2.

State officials are waiting for Congress to pass a highway funding bill to secure bypass money, a topic that was a silent alarm throughout the luncheon. Attendees received a form letter that urges Congress to pass long-term measures rather than another continuing resolution. 

Zanto said that the transportation department is looking at contingency plans in the absence of movement at the federal level.

The U.S. 93 bypass project relies largely on federal money, and it’s no minor road job. 

Kalispell-based construction firm LHC Inc. will bid for some of the work. Its vice president, Jeff Claridge, was a panelist at the luncheon and said that this job would benefit more than just one business.

“If you look at the size and scope of the project, it’s a massive project,” he said. “It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen in these parts.”

Claridge estimated that 75 to 150 workers could be contributing at a given time, and they would buy materials, eat and stay locally.

Another project highlighted at the luncheon was the Glacier Rail Park being spearheaded by Flathead County Economic Development Authority with the city of Kalispell as a partner.

Kellie Danielson, president of Montana West Economic Development, spoke about the project. Her organization manages the Flathead authority.

They hope to build an industrial park with rail service on the east side of Kalispell while removing the rails that run through town near Center Street. The agencies have sought a federal grant as a major funding portion, but the money has gone elsewhere in recent years. 

Danielson said they will apply again this year, but the need far outweighs the available money. She said that $600 million was distributed last year after $900 billion in requests came into the program.

In the competition for transportation dollars, whether from grants or the federal budget, Zanto said that reaching out helps. It’s one thing for a state agency to ask for funding; it’s another for citizens to make the request.

“It’s essential for them to hear from the grass-roots level,” she said.

On Tuesday, representatives from the city of Kalispell traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with elected officials and department heads to do just that. Their talking points included federal grant funding for the rail park, as well as requesting a Congressional transportation bill to aid, among other things, the U.S. 93 bypass.

Reporter Matt Hudson may be reached at 758-4459 or by email at mhudson@dailyinterlake.com.