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This case study is part of the Federal Highway Administration toolkit on innovative finance strategies to accelerate bicycle and pedestrian project delivery, a reference for local and state transportation agencies. The University of Montana helped advance active transportation projects through a special assessment district and student advocacy, which helped create a cycle track (two-way protected bike lane) on Maurice Avenue in Missoula, Montana.
The City of Missoula has worked with the University of Montana to advance several transportation projects. Students at the University of Montana established the Associated Students of the University of Montana Office of Transportation (ASUM OT) in 1999 to expand transportation options for students. Funded by $35-per-semester student fees, it operates a bus system with nine buses and four fixed routes, funds bicycle racks and other active transportation projects, and helps prioritize other improvements. The group identifies transportation needs and works with the City of Missoula Transportation Division to address student needs.
U.S. Highway 12 in Missoula is a one-way couplet of 5th and 6th Streets that flows into Madison Street as it crosses the Clark Fork River (see graphic above). The Madison Street Bridge has a bridge suspended beneath it for bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as sidewalks and bike lanes at street level. On the south side of the Clark Fork River, Madison Street merges into Arthur Avenue and Maurice Avenue, which provide important connections to the University of Montana’s campus. Starting in 2005, the City and the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) worked to make safety improvements on Maurice Avenue and the surrounding streets, including Arthur Avenue.
The project, officially called the 5th / 6th / Arthur and Maurice Intersection Safety and Circulation Improvement Project, lacked funding and did not have public support. ASUM OT opposed the original plan for the project because of the size (proposed widening of Arthur Avenue); predicted costs; impacts on the neighborhood; and lack of safe, comfortable, and convenient bicycle and pedestrian facilities. ASUM OT and other groups, including the Bike/Walk Alliance for Missoula and the Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation, advocated for safety improvements for active transportation. As a result of this advocacy, the project ultimately included two-way, protected bicycle lanes on Maurice Avenue. The cycle track is part of the Neighborhood Greenway network and provide a connection between campus and the Milwaukee Trail. Additionally, the project also included a new traffic signal, changes in traffic flow, and intersection improvements.
A Special Improvement District provided $1.25 million for the project. The University of Montana paid for the assessments. The MDT and the City of Missoula each provided approximately $200,000 in materials and labor.
The City of Missoula used a traditional design/bid/build contract for the project. City labor included mission and paving, and MDT funded and installed a new traffic signal at the corner of 5th and Arthur.
The City of Missoula completed the project in 2011. Missoula has a long history of citizen engagement in active transportation. For this project, student and community group support played an important role in advancing the bicycle facilities. This collaborative approach led to a creative reimagining of the configuration of the roadways. Rather than expanding Arthur Avenue to four lanes, the City of Missoula worked alongside community advocates to design a facility that improved safety for bicyclists and pedestrians and connectivity for multimodal traffic on U.S. 12.
Ben Weiss
Bicycle/Pedestrian Program Manager, City of Missoula
(406) 552-6352
bweiss@ci.missoula.mt.us
435 Ryman Street
Missoula, MT 59801
Advocacy Advance. 2014. “How Communities are Paying for Innovative On-Street Bicycle Infrastructure.”
Associated Students of the University of Montana Office of Transportation. 2013. “University of Montana 2013 Bike Master Plan.”
City of Missoula. 2011. Press Release: “5th/6th/Arthur Project Goes Live Friday.” August 25, 2011.
Keila Szpaller. 2011. “New traffic pattern opens on Arthur Avenue.”
Missoula MPO. 2011. “2011 Missoula Active Transportation Plan.”
Missoula MPO. 2017. “Bicycle Facilities Master Plan.”
Rebecca Calabrese Dolan. 2011. “New roadwork on Arthur protects pedestrians, bikers.” Montana Kaimin. Missoula MPO (2011). “2011 Missoula Active Transportation Plan.”
City of Missoula
ASUM Office of Transportation
