Federal funding to move Reserve Street safety plan forward
Martin Kidston
(Missoula Current) A $1 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation will enable the city to make safety improvements to Reserve Street, including intersection work and testing new traffic safety measures.
The Missoula Metropolitan Planning Organization over the last year has explored various ways to improve safety along the corridor. It hired the consulting firm Kittelson & Associates to draft a plan that considered speed, signal timing and hazardous turns.
Lighting was also listed as an issue needing addressed in the safety study.
“Reserve Street connects thousands of people to jobs, schools, businesses and neighborhoods every day, but its crash history shows we have important work ahead,” Jeremy Keene, Director of Public Works & Mobility, said in a statement. “We're taking an active role in improving safety while bringing federal resources to Missoula that allow us to stretch local dollars further.”
The city received roughly $1 million from the federal government, representing the bulk of the projects $1.25 million cost. The city must cover the remainder. The project includes $650,000 for permanent intersection improvements and $347,000 for additional planning and safety demonstrations.
The work will restrict turning at four intersections that currently lack a signal including International Drive/Stockyard Road, American Way, River Road and Old U.S. Highway 93.
The project will also test dynamic speed signs near the Clark Fork River bridge and test temporary turn restrictions at several locations between River Road and Brooks Street. If the latter proves successful, it could result in permanent changes down the road.
Project planners said the work will also study access issues, speeds and traffic patterns that could guide future investment within the corridor. Funding for that work hasn't been identified.
“This grant demonstrates why investing in transportation planning matters,” said Aaron Wilson, Planning Manager for Public Works & Mobility. “The MPO's work on the Reserve Street Safety Action Plan gave us a clear, data-driven strategy and a competitive project ready for federal funding.”
Between 2019 and 2023, Reserve Street recorded 1,664 crashes, resulting in 63 serious injuries and three fatalities, according to the city. Once the grant is finalized, the city will detail the project's timing.