BOZEMAN — As many residents know, it’s construction season — and this year has been particularly intense. For drivers, road work can be frustrating during the daily commute. But on Thursday, one construction site actually helped Bozeman police stop a high-speed pursuit.
WATCH: Bozeman construction stopped a reckless driver — twice
Waiting in construction traffic can test anyone’s patience.
“Obviously, the disruption — especially if it’s unexpected,” said Ben Blakesley.
Last week, northeast Bozeman saw unexpected road work along North Seventh Avenue. For Blakesley, who is in town for work, it disrupted his sandwich run.
“I was trying to go to Finks for lunch the other day, and I had a really tight timeline. It did not help to have that construction. I’ve noticed a lot of construction around town,” he said.
This particular project, aimed at improving traffic flow on North Seventh, shut down several streets, including stretches of Oak, Durston, Peach Street, and Tamarack. The closures caused heavy congestion, and many residents voiced frustration online.
“Were people complaining to you guys at all about it?” I asked Bozeman Police Capt. Benjamin King.
“We have received some calls, yes. It is a Montana Department of Transportation project, so we have very little involvement in it. But we do try to monitor it,” King said.
MDT did not respond after I reached out to them.
King said monitoring construction sites can be critical — and Thursday’s incident proved why.
“Our officers were investigating a report of a reckless driver. While they were looking for that vehicle, one of our lieutenants in an unmarked car and plain clothes found it,” King said.
According to a police report, the lieutenant was stuck in construction traffic on Frontage Road, restricted to a single lane and waiting for a pilot vehicle. That’s when a red Corvette bypassed the stopped line of traffic — and a flagger holding a stop sign — speeding more than 80 mph down the one-lane road.
The lieutenant began pursuing the Corvette, but the driver didn’t stop until he was forced to a halt by construction.
“Ultimately, he came to a stop at a construction site due to the congestion of the construction vehicles and traffic control devices,” King said.
Officers approached the driver and began writing a citation, but the man ran back to his Corvette and attempted to flee.
“At least two times the vehicle fled, trying to elude,” King said.
However, construction blocked him again only a short distance up the road on North Seventh Avenue. The driver was removed from his vehicle at gunpoint, taken into custody, and cited for fleeing from peace officers and reckless driving.
King said such behavior is not uncommon during construction season.
“We see frustrated drivers every day who are committing offenses,” he said.
The Corvette driver put several construction workers at risk on Thursday. Blakesley said while construction can be aggravating, drivers should keep it in perspective.
“It’s terrible. These folks are out there just trying to do their jobs, and they deserve to be safe. People who are annoyed by traffic need to give themselves some perspective about keeping other humans safe in their workplace,” he said.
