EBS STAFF
Safety on Little Coyote Road has concerned residents for years, but the topic gained focus in recent months as the Big Sky Owners Association earned a $47,000 grant from Resort Tax, and a separate grassroots group of residents intensified efforts to reduce speed and volume of cut-through traffic.
On Wednesday, Aug. 21, the BSOA announced it signed a $128,000 contract to install three speed tables on Little Coyote Road. Speed tables are like speed bumps but with a flat top suitable for Little Coyote Road’s speed limit of 25 miles per hour.
BSOA signed the contract on Aug. 7 and anticipates construction will begin in early September. The speed tables should be complete by winter, according to a BSOA press release.
The project is being funded by BSOA, the $47,000 grant from the Big Sky Resort Area District, and private donations from residents, according to the release. BSOA also spent $41,000 for a 2017 traffic study and traffic calming measures, according to the press release.
“The effort to determine the best methods to improve and implement traffic calming measures on LCR was a lengthy process by the BSOA,” the release stated. “This included a speed study to quantify the problem, followed by a traffic calming study which recommended three traffic calming measures unique to LCR including: a) additional speed limit signs; b) installation of driver feedback signs and; c) speed tables that allow snowplowing without damage to the road. In addition, BSOA needed approval from Gallatin County, which was a multi-year process.”
In addition to the speed tables, the grassroots Little Coyote Traffic Safety Group was successful in working with Big Sky Resort and the Big Sky Community Organization to gain permission and funding for crosswalks with 15-mile-per-hour speed limit signage.
