HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-21-20 Public Comment - P. Hatfield - Kagy road expansionFrom:Hatfield, Patrick
To:Cyndy Andrus
Cc:Agenda
Subject:Kagy road expansion
Date:Monday, December 21, 2020 11:03:35 AM
Dear Mayor Andrus,
I hope your holiday season is getting off to a good start.
I am a Montana native and for the past 25 years I have served as a faculty member and department
head in the College of Agriculture at Montana State University. I live at 418 Fieldstone dr. in the
West Field Park Neighborhood south of Kagy. In the 25 years living in Bozeman and commuting to
work at the University, I have never purchased a parking pass because of the ease of walking or
riding my bicycle to work. With studded bike tires, fat tire bikes, ebikes, and advances in winter
wear, commuting by bike is an opportunity not realized in the old transportation paradigm.
It has come to my attention that the City of Bozeman is planning to pursue a four-lane road
expansion project on Kagy. This proposed project would run counter to the significant community
input provided in 2016 in support of a three-lane option with extensive multi modal
infrastructure facilitating safe and efficient pedestrian and bicycle usage, both east/west and more
importantly, north/south on Willson.
I have concerns about the current process and project now proposed, including:
From my understanding a small group of stakeholders met after the community process was
completed and they independently decided that a four-lane project without any
infrastructure faciltiating north/south multi modal transportation would be pursued.
Expansion of single vehicle infrastructure for $15+ million that only saves a limited number
of users a minimal amount of time seems frankly hard to believe given a current need for
fiscal stewardship of public dollars.
When the majority of our City's carbon pollution is associated with transportation it does not
seem reasonable to expand road capacity in a manner that would incentivize and
expand single vehicle usage while effectively constructing an east/west barrier to residents
south of Kagy that walk and bike to the University and downtown for work, shopping, and
entertainment.
As I understand, the Commission will be taking this issue up on Tuesday of this week (12/22/20)
and I would encourage you to delay any further effort to study and or approve the four-lane
proposal until it can be thoroughly vetted via our new Community Engagement Initiative and
considered in light of our new Community Plan and emerging Climate Action Plan.
Thank you Mayor Andrus, I appreciate your taking the time to read this message.
Patrick Hatfield
Professor and Department Head
Department of Animal and Range Sciences
P. O. Box 172900
103 Animal BioScience Building
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT 59717-2900
Tel (406) 994-4850
Fax (406) 994-5589