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MDT outlines $74 million Russell Street grant, pavement program and wildlife‑crossing studies for Missoula district
Summary
Montana Department of Transportation District 1 previewed pavement resurfacing work slated for August bids, a $74 million grant for Russell Street capacity improvements and multiple wildlife‑crossing studies, MDT officials told City Club Missoula.
Joel Boucher, pre‑construction engineer for District 1 at the Montana Department of Transportation, outlined a slate of projects that MDT plans in the Missoula district, including pavement preservation that will be let August 21 and a larger, grant‑funded Russell Street reconstruction.
MDT said a pavement preservation package will target multiple city streets — Reserve Street south of Brooks, Beckwith Avenue (Higgins to Arthur), East Broadway east of Van Buren, South Third (Reserve to Russell), Mullen Road (Reserve to Frey) and Toole Avenue (Spruce to Madison between West and East Broadway) — with the goal of preserving asphalt that remains in generally good condition. Boucher said the work is coordinated with the City of Missoula.
Russell Street and other major projects
Boucher described a successful grant application for Russell Street that he said secured about $74,000,000; those funds are targeted for a project that will increase capacity from three to five lanes on Russell from Dakota to Mount and rebuild intersections including Broadway and Russell. He said the grant is expected to be obligated by 2028 with construction in 2029–2030.
Other projects in MDT’s pipeline that Boucher discussed include the Orange Street Tunnel rehabilitation (replacement of outer beams, drainage fixes and concrete patching, with funding identified for 2027), removal of Bonner Street bridge piers in coordination with BNSF and a planned consultant procurement for pier removal, and a series of wildlife‑crossing feasibility studies.
Wildlife crossing funding approach
On wildlife crossings, Boucher said MDT is pursuing studies and projects in two overlapping corridors — one extending past the Y to Garrison and another in the 6‑Mile Creek corridor. He emphasized that MDT is open to crossings but that funding is the challenge: “What we’re doing is we’re looking for alternative ways to fund this,” he said, citing grants, public‑private partnerships and NGO partnerships as possible approaches. The 6‑Mile Creek idea grew from a multi‑stakeholder proposal to replace an underpass with a bridge structure and add fencing.
What officials said
Joel Boucher, Pre‑construction Engineer, MDT District 1: “We set aside a certain amount of money that’s put just towards pavement preservation. ... The asphalt has to be in a fairly good condition and our goal with that is to keep that good asphalt good.”
Ending
Boucher encouraged residents to use MDT’s fact book and project maps (available via QR code he brought to the forum) and said several projects are coordinated with the City of Missoula and the metropolitan planning organization.
