Lake County, CSKT eye passenger rail authority membership

The newest member of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority could lie north of Missoula in Lake County, Montana, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, which have expressed interest in joining.

Lake County this week adopted a resolution of intent to join the authority and will vote on the issue next week. Former Polson city planning director Juan Escano said the “stars are aligning” and interest in joining the authority is nearly universal.

“Everyone is doing transportation development and there’s a number of discussions going on,” Escano said. “Ultimately, we need connectivity. We can’t continue to be isolated.”

If Lake County joined the authority, it would bring its membership to roughly 18 counties and three tribal nations including the Crow, Northern Cheyenne, and Salish and Kootenai. Read More