Dayton Asked for a Town Speed Zone and Got 65: What the US 93 Decision Means for West Shore Buyers

One public comment in the Montana Department of Transportation's corridor study describes a near miss at Chief Cliff Lane, just south of Dayton. The commenter watched a northbound car try to pass a semi in the passing lane between mile markers 81 and 82. The car sped up as the lane ran out and then had to come almost to a stop, because another driver ahead was trying to turn left onto Chief Cliff Lane. A northbound driver turning left there, the commenter explained, has to make the turn from the passing lane. "It could have ended badly," the commenter wrote in MDT's public comment appendix.

That comment is one of many that led to a decision Dayton has been waiting on since 2023. For anyone looking at land or a home on the west shore, the decision says something lasting: around Dayton, the state treats US 93 as a rural highway, and it will keep doing so. What changes from one property to the next is how it gets onto that road.

The Vote That Lowered the Limit Without Granting the Request

In August 2023, Lake County asked MDT for a speed study on US 93 around Dayton and Proctor. According to the Montana Transportation Commission's December 11, 2025 minutes, the public's main concern was the area right around Dayton. People wanted a 45 or 55 mph zone like the ones already posted in Big Arm and Elmo.

At that meeting the Commission unanimously approved two changes. The first is a 55 mph zone starting about 400 feet north of Spinnaker Lane and running about 2,700 feet north. The second is a 65 mph limit from there through Dayton, about 7.96 miles, ending roughly 490 feet north of Northaire Lane. Lake County Commissioner Bill Barron told the Commission, "we agree completely with what is recommended."

That 65 is lower than the 70 mph statutory limit it replaces. MDT noted that it also closes a 1.3-mile stretch of 70 mph that would otherwise have been left between zones. The result is a continuous 65 mph corridor on US 93 between Elmo and Lakeside. It is not the town zone Dayton asked for.

Why Measured Speed Decides, and Why That Matters for the Long Term

The reason sits in how MDT sets limits. Its crews took spot speed samples along the corridor. At 80 percent of the stations, typical speeds were within 3 mph of the posted limit. The staff then wrote:

"Although the prevailing speeds indicate appropriately set speed limits roadway context indicates these speeds are slightly elevated above what should be considered reasonable and prudent. Based on the elevated crash rates throughout the study it would be advisable to reduce the speed limit."

The new limit was then set at "the closest 50th percentile," meaning close to the speed most drivers were already going. The minutes also describe the setting: "primarily rural with minimal development along US 93." Most homes sit along the lakeshore, and "Old US 93 providing most of the development with access points connecting to US 93."

For a buyer, this is the key point. Dayton has plenty of homes, but most of them reach the highway from side roads, so in MDT's view the highway itself passes through open country. The limit follows the speed of the drivers on the road, not the homes beside it. A Dayton buyer has good reason to expect the stretch past town to stay at highway speed, and to weigh a property with that in mind.

Traffic has risen and held there. In 2023, MDT counted about 5,200 vehicles a day north of Elmo and about 6,500 north of Dayton. Volumes jumped about 15 percent from 2020 to 2021 and have stayed near that level since.

Four Places the Record Names

With the speed limit settled, what differs from one Dayton property to the next is the intersection it uses. MDT's record names several of them.

The road itself is uneven too. The typical section has two 12-foot lanes and 8-foot shoulders, but the shoulders narrow to about four feet between mileposts 78 and 79.5. The minutes add that curves "may restrict sight distance," especially at approaches inside those curves, and that some approaches meet the highway at angles other than 90 degrees.

How crowded the access is depends on the segment. MDT's corridor study counted 8.71 approaches per mile between reference posts 83 and 90, which covers Dayton and Rollins. The Big Arm and Elmo stretch from RP 74 to 78 ran 11.25 per mile.

The Driveway Is a Permit, and the Plan Favors Fewer of Them

This is where the decision matters most in a sale. MDT's Approach Manual is plain about it: "ALL NEW OR MODIFIED APPROACHES REQUIRE EITHER AN APPROACH PERMIT OR A RIGHT-OF-WAY AGREEMENT." It also says that a change in how a property or approach is used requires a new permit.

Under the manual, the landowner applies to the district office, which here is MDT's Missoula District at 2100 W Broadway, (406) 523-5800. The property owner must sign even if someone else fills out the application. The district decides whether it can grant a permit or whether the request has to go through MDT's Systems Impact Process. A site plan and an Environmental Checklist are required, and no construction can start until a permit or authorization is approved. The current form is MDT's Approach Application.

Those requests are now reviewed under a new plan. MDT's US 93 Polson to Somers Corridor Study and its companion Access Management Plan, both dated October 27, 2025, set guidance on how many public and private access points the highway should have, where they go, and how far apart they sit. The study names Dayton among the places where "access points could be consolidated." It also suggests a multi-agency Access Control Committee to review future requests, with MDT, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Lake and Flathead counties, and private parties as implementation partners.

Public comments point the same way. The Lake County Leader reported that locals asked MDT to decline more developments and driveways, and that some comments mentioned the "no left-turn season." Rollins residents Jack and Stephanie Venrick told the study that recent growth "includes many more residential and commercial accesses to U.S. Route 93."

So for a Dayton parcel, how it reaches the highway is something to check before buying. A few questions follow from the record:

1. Does the property already have a permitted approach onto US 93, or does it reach the highway through a county road or Old US 93?
2. If the plans call for a new driveway or a change in use, such as a shop, a rental, or an event space, will that need a new or modified approach permit?
3. Does the existing approach sit on a curve, inside a passing zone, or near one of the intersections named above?
4. If access points are consolidated over time, could the property's route to the highway change?

All of this is general information drawn from public MDT documents. It is not legal advice, so confirm your own parcel with MDT's Missoula District and the right professional.

What's Planned, and What Has Funding

The corridor study lists improvements near Dayton. Its long-term options include a southbound passing lane at RP 84.75 to 85.25, estimated at $6.7 million, and another at RP 79.75 to 80.25, estimated at $4.7 million.

The same report says none of its options had implementation funding when the study was completed. It also says its short-, mid- and long-term labels are planning estimates, not commitments. MDT's project FAQ adds that the Access Management Plan involves no construction itself and will be put in place over time, depending on safety needs, funding and development. In short, the approved 65 mph limit is the change that has been decided. The rest of the list depends on funding.

A Few Questions Buyers Ask

Is Rollins also at 65? Yes. A 65 mph zone was already posted through Rollins from about RP 86.3 to 93.0. The Dayton decision extended it south so the limit stays the same from Elmo to Lakeside.

Was the Tribe involved? The study was carried out with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The Leader reported that MDT met with the CSKT Tribal Council and the Kootenai Elders. The Elders asked for interpretive signage about the corridor's cultural significance.

Where can I read the full study? MDT posts the corridor study, its appendices and the Access Management Plan on its US 93 Polson to Somers project page.

How a property reaches US 93 shapes every trip to town, and it belongs on the checklist alongside the view and the shoreline. If a Dayton or Rollins parcel is on your list, I'm glad to walk the access with you and pull its MDT history before you make an offer. Let's connect through Dalon Pobran.