City lands $59M to complete Russell Street corridor project

Martin Kidston

(Missoula Current) A transportation project more than three decades in the making found its golden goose on Friday when Missoula city officials learned that it had received nearly $60 million in federal funding.

The award will enable the city to complete its Russell Street corridor project – one that began nearly a decade ago but was only half completed due to funding.

“This federal investment means we can finally move forward on this transformative project,” Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis said in a statement Friday afternoon. “Without the federal investment of this size, we would not be able to accomplish this important project to move people, cargo and services safely and effectively through our community.”

As designed, the project will widen Russell Street from Dakota Street south to Mount Avenue. The project also includes work on West Broadway between Mullan Road and Cowper Street.

All together, the city said the funding will improve roughly 1.5 miles of roadway. The city agreed to apply for the funding last year.

“This is a project 30 years in the making,” said Aaron Wilson, the city's transportation planning manager. “This grant funding was essential to push it over the finish line and ensure we can complete the needed improvements.”

The Russell Street Regional Corridor Project was first identified and planned for in back in 1996. Even then, it was deemed a regional priority. The first phase of the project included corridor improvements from West Broadway to Dakota Street, along with the reconstruction of the Russell Street bridge.

That phase widened the old two-lane roadway to four lanes and added separated bike lanes, sidewalks, bus pullouts and landscaping. But the city lacked funding to complete the second phase of the project, which carried an estimated cost of $40 million back in 2020.

The project's cost is now estimated at $74 million. Wilson said funding sources include those announced on Friday from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Other sources include state gas taxes and urban funds from the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

“It serves to benefit all modes of transportation in a generational investment in Missoula infrastructure,” said Wilson. “It's a lynchpin project for creating a safe, efficient and connected transportation network.”

Bob Vosen, the district administrator with the Montana Department of Transportation, said a number of partners came together to help secure federal funding.

“This is another great example of how teamwork can benefit all users of the regional transportation network,” he said. “I thank the team from the MPO for putting together such a great application under a very tight deadline.”