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Residents urge Flathead County to prioritize McManamey Draw for dust abatement
Summary
Several McManamey Draw residents told commissioners the unpaved road produces unhealthy dust and safety hazards, and asked the county to prioritize the road for asphalt millings or other long-term treatment; commissioners said they will run a new traffic count this summer to update the record.
Dozens of residents from McManamey Draw told the Flathead County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 29 that chronic dust and severe potholes are harming health, safety and daily life and urged the county to prioritize the road for dust-abatement treatments.
"It's unhealthy," Mary Gustafson said. "You can't go out... I cannot go out in the summertime because of the... I can't even open my windows because the dust is so bad." Several other residents echoed that account, describing dust that forces them to keep windows closed, interferes with outdoor activity and hammers vehicle maintenance costs.
The requests centered on persistent dust and high road counts on McManamey Draw. "McManamee Draw has had the highest road count in the Flathead County as far as unpaved roads," Greg Dodd said, urging commissioners to weight housing density and topography when awarding recycled millings or pavement. Jada Johnson told the board she counted roughly 35 driveways within the first mile and 67 within two miles, and said commercial traffic and contractors add to damage and dust.
Residents also raised emergency-response concerns. "If anyone is in trouble for an ambulance or first responders... trying to get up the draw with the potholes... it's a real delay," Jackie Shepherd said, asking the county to consider resurfacing that would reduce potholes and improve response times.
Several speakers asked the county to place a traffic counter to generate recent, objective data. "If you were on the fence at all about whether or not this road qualifies for the recycled millings, a road count left there for about a week would... be eye opening," Erica Wertila said.
Chair responded that county staff already had two prior seven-day counts: June 26'July 3, 2024 averaged 321 vehicles per day, and an earlier May'012 count averaged 477 per day. The chair told residents staff plans to run another road count this summer to provide updated evidence for prioritization decisions.
What happens next: commissioners did not commit to immediate paving or millings. They said updated traffic data will inform whether McManamey Draw meets criteria for recycled-milling treatments or other remedies and encouraged residents to submit written comments to become part of the public record.
