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Bozeman eyes Transportation Alternatives grants and revives Safe Routes to School application
Summary
City transportation staff prioritized Transportation Alternatives projects, shifted a proposed sidewalk scope to a College Avenue multimodal safety project, and said the city will apply for funding to expand Safe Routes to School programming in partnership with the school district and Western Transportation Institute.
City transportation staff presented proposed Transportation Alternatives (TA) projects and a Safe Routes to School application to the Transportation Advisory Board on March 26, seeking board feedback on prioritization and feasibility.
Taylor Lonsdale, city transportation engineer, said earlier estimates raised the cost of a Hagerty Lane sidewalk to levels that made it difficult to include alongside other candidate projects. In its place staff suggested applying TA funds to multimodal safety elements of the College Avenue Eighth-to-Eleventh streetscape project; using TA funding to offset those costs would free arterial-and-collector district funds for later projects such as the frontage-road path.
Lonsdale told the board the Flanders Mill Road sidewalk remains a candidate but its cost estimates increased with updated pricing. He said the Harmon Stream at Main Street pedestrian project was on the bubble because of feasibility and cost questions but could include a Streamline bus stop on an MDT route.
Safe Routes to School
Lonsdale said the city will apply for Safe Routes to School funding through the TA program in partnership with Bozeman School District No. 7 and the Western Transportation Institute. The proposed two-year program would fund encouragement and skill-building (bike rodeos), shared-commute technology leveraging existing trip-match platforms, an education-and-safety campaign, program staffing and incentives for school staff.
Why it matters: TA grants are federal formula funds passed through state and MPO processes; using them now for a project with completed right-of-way and design data could leverage local funds and advance projects that improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.
Board reaction
Board members generally supported prioritizing multimodal safety on College Avenue and advancing Safe Routes to School programming. Staff said applications were not yet final and some cost estimates and feasibility checks remained outstanding, but application deadlines were imminent.
Ending: Lonsdale said staff will finalize cost estimates and may adjust priorities before application submission.
