Guest opinion: Hodgson Road and U.S. 93 intersection must be fixed

Yesterday I witnessed the carnage of yet another brutal traffic accident at the intersection of Hodgson Road and US Highway 93. Fortunately no lives were lost, but there was plenty of work time and property damage lost by those in the wreck and waiting for the Northbound lanes to clear.

How many lives have to be disrupted—or tragically cut short—before we finally fix the intersection of Hodgson Road and U.S. Highway 93? 

Just this past March, a devastating head-on crash near Hodgson Road left one person dead and two others hospitalized. Last October, another multi-vehicle wreck completely blocked traffic. Those are just the incidents that made the news. Anyone who drives this stretch between Kalispell and Whitefish regularly knows that near-misses and fender-benders are a daily reality. Turning onto Highway 93 from Hodgson Road during peak hours feels like running a death gauntlet. 

Yet, despite widespread community fear, the Montana Department of Transportation’s current plans completely ignore our safety. MDT is planning a resurfacing project for this exact stretch of Highway 93, but they have explicitly stated it will only cover maintenance like pavement crack sealing and new markings. No traffic signals. No new turn lanes. No operational upgrades whatsoever. 

We often hear the argument that adding traffic lights defeats the purpose of the multi-million-dollar Kalispell Bypass, which was built to keep traffic moving. But keeping traffic moving shouldn’t come at the cost of human lives. If MDT can fund massive double-roundabout interchanges on the Bypass and major widening projects at Highway 40, they can find a solution for Hodgson Road. 

With a massive new housing development being proposed just south of us on Tronstad Road, the traffic gridlock is only going to get worse. If a new signal is triggered at Tronstad, MDT needs to look at the bigger picture and address the domino effect it will have on Hodgson, Church, and Schrade roads. 

MDT allocates funding based on data and public feedback. If we want this intersection fixed before the next fatal crash, we have to make our voices heard. I urge my fellow neighbors to contact the MDT Missoula District office and submit public comments to our local councils. It’s time to stop waiting for the crash data to pile up and start demanding proactive infrastructure changes. 

Linda Dewey and Nort Petrovich, Whitefish