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City of Missoula outlines multimodal plan: Brooks BRT, Downtown Sam, rightsizing and long‑range funding gaps
Summary
The City of Missoula’s public works director described a suite of multimodal projects and long‑range funding limits, emphasizing ‘rightsizing’ streets, a Brooks Corridor bus rapid transit vision and the Downtown Sam reconstruction at a City Club Missoula forum.
Jeremy Keane, director of public works and mobility for the City of Missoula, told City Club Missoula that the city faces growing congestion and limited funding while pursuing a mix of large reconstructions and smaller multimodal projects.
Keane said Missoula’s long‑range transportation plan identifies roughly $788,000,000 in projects over 25 years but that available funding programs support about $293,000,000 of that total; the city expects to be able to build about one third of the identified projects in that period. He described an approach that prioritizes multimodal options, compact neighborhoods and safety rather than widening roads where feasible.
Major projects and multimodal priorities
Keane highlighted several projects underway or planned: the Brooks Corridor conceptual work that studied bus rapid transit (BRT) service with 15‑minute frequency and fixed stations; Downtown Sam (rehabilitation of downtown streets, signal optimization and creating bike lanes on Higgins); Orange‑Craig traffic signal and Scott & Phillips roundabout (a short concentrated construction window he said aims to complete work quickly during a school break); South Avenue improvements (curb, sidewalk, bike facilities and a turn lane expected for construction in 2027 in partnership with the county); and a future upgrade to the Broadway/California/Toole intersection (signal or roundabout options being evaluated for improved pedestrian safety).
Keane framed some street conversions as “rightsizing” rather than lane removal for the sake of removal: narrower cross sections can create space for left turn lanes, bike facilities and parking that better serve downtown circulation, he said. He called the 20‑minute neighborhood concept — that daily needs should be reachable within a 20‑minute trip by walking, biking or transit — a guiding principle.
Coordination, governance and public engagement
Keane and MDT staff described coordination through the MPO and policy bodies; Keane said the Transportation Policy Coordinating Committee (TPCC) and technical committees (TTAC) align projects, funding and priorities across the city, county, Mountain Line, the University of Montana and MDT. He emphasized public engagement through the long‑range plan, updated every five years, and project‑level outreach as the means to prioritize competing projects.
Questions from the audience addressed Miller Creek access, potential new interchanges near Reserve/Scott and how projects account for events and seasonal traffic. Keane said some solutions — such as a bridge to Blue Mountain Road — had proven environmentally difficult and costly in the past and that interim strategies focus on improving existing routes and intersections.
What officials said
Jeremy Keane, Director of Public Works and Mobility, City of Missoula: “If people can make shorter trips, they can make those trips more easily by other modes, walking and biking, taking the bus.”
Ending
Keane urged public participation on Engage Missoula and the city’s public works pages for project updates and noted the challenge of prioritizing hundreds of projects with constrained funding.
