Powder River Examiner -

By Pamela Ash

Independent Press https://www.independent-press.com

The first meeting of the Safety Task Force was held on Tuesday in Forsyth to begin work on the safety action plan for US Highway 212 Corridor from Crow Agency to Alzada.

US Highway 212 corridor between Crow Agency at the 1-90 Junction and Alzada at the Wyoming state line has a high number of crashes and fatalities. The route has been identified as having safety issues, partly due to the high percentage of truck traffic on this route in relation to total traffic. In 2020, traffic counts showed as high as 38 percent of total traffic on this route was trucks.

The Safety Action Plan's purpose is to examine the safety issues along the highway and to identify potential solutions to reduce safety hazards along the corridor.

The Safety Task Force has been identified to guide the day-to-day development of the plan. Those on the committee representing Rosebud County include Julie Emmons, Sarah Kisman, and Ed Joiner. Big Horn County Commissioner Peri Schenderline, Powder River County Commissioner Lee Randall, and Carter County Commissioner Rod Tauck are on the committee as well as Montana Department of Transportation representatives, Zach Kirkemo, Shane Mintz, Pam Langve-Davis, and Patricia Burke. Representing the Crow Tribe is Thomas Whie Clay Sr, and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe is represented by Janis Spear and Debra Charette. Montana Highway Patrol Officers Captain Jeff Kent and Sergeant Cody Smith are on the Committee. Isabelle Sisk represents the Rosebud County Health Department.

Stakeholders have been identified and the list will be reviewed and updated as necessary as the project unfolds. KLJ Consulting will facilitate two rounds of stakeholder meetings to support development of the action plan. These meetings will be set up as virtual meetings and will look to break the list of identified into three groups to best facilitate discussion of issues and needs along the corridor.

A website is in progress that will serve as the portal for information regarding the planning process. bit.ly/SafeUS212. Two rounds of public input meetings to support the development of the plan will be conducted and upon completion of Phase I public input, KLJ will complete a summary report documenting the comments provided by the public. This will serve to summarize and clarify the key issues identified through the first phase of public engagement.

The second phase will see meetings in Ashland, Broadus, Crow Agency, Busby, and Lame Deer. KLJ will develop a virtual open house that will include a 10-minute informational video highlighting the proposed safety improvement recommendations developed by the Safety Action Plan.

Items that were mentioned during the meeting as being of concern to Task Force members include impaired driving, speeding, lack of seatbelt use, improper passing, and aggressive driving. Emphasis was voiced about lack of education, lack of reporting, particularly on the reservation, and engineering concerns.

Traffic control and law enforcement were discussed. There are 15 highway patrol officers in the area, and there is a need for 27. Not being fully staffed with increased traffic and the length of the highway, the impact of being short on manpower is a huge issue. With 900 trucks a day on a two-lane highway, and with the volume increasing, this is a big concern with the highway patrol officers. A lack of law enforcement on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and few codes to be enforced are items that need to be addressed by the task force.

Another safety issue discussed was the inability of some of the truckers to speak and read English. Reliant on cell phone service which is not available along a good share of HWY 212, they are not always able to read and interpret safety signs and communications, leaving them at a loss on unfamiliar roads and inclement weather.

Members of the Highway 212 safety task force at their first meeting in Forsyth. (Photo courtesy Pamela Ash/Independent Press)

When the Department of Transportation puts out signs calling for trucks to chain up during snow and ice storms, they are often ignored, and then trucks spin out on hills and block traffic for hours and create a safety hazard for school buses and other motorists. It was suggested that this is an area of concern that needs to be better enforced.

A Facebook page, US-212 Montana, is a public site for voicing concerns, reporting problems, and sharing information about issues along the corridor. The Facebook page is filled with close calls, crashes, and information about the highway. Progress of the Safety Task Force will be available on that site also.

The goal of the task force is to work toward solution development for the 212 Corridor. The next meeting of the Task Force will be scheduled for Forsyth near the end of January.