Mayor Davis and city staff joined community members and partner agencies to ceremonially light a newly installed system of trail lights along the Bitterroot Trail in Missoula at a community event. Organizers said the project installed approximately 182 fixtures spanning about three miles of trail and oriented the lights downward to limit light pollution in line with the City of Missoula’s dark skies initiative.

Mayor Davis said the lighting project was meant to improve user safety and connectivity. “This is really exciting,” Mayor Davis said, adding that the trail “connects all sorts of neighborhoods and parts of Missoula together.” She noted the fixtures’ design and placement were chosen to preserve views of the night sky while providing usable light on the trail.

Nathan McLeod, associate director of planning, design and projects for City of Missoula Parks and Recreation, framed the work as a partnership between city departments and outside organizations. “This project really sheds a light on what strong partnerships can do, and it truly glows with community spirit,” McLeod said, thanking the Missoula Redevelopment Agency and Montana Rail Link for their roles.

Carl England, chair of the Missoula Redevelopment Agency board, described the lighting as part of a long-term effort. “Missoula got the idea to build a trail system in 1980,” England said, and he credited decades of leadership and public support for enabling the project. Organizers also thanked Cushing Terrell for design work, DJ’s Electric for electrical construction, and Northwestern Energy for utility cooperation.

Before the countdown, a representative of Missoula in Motion gave a brief safety briefing for the crowd, asking riders and walkers to stay together with Mayor Davis at the front and Ashley acting as the caboose, to stay to the right when passing other trail users, and to exercise caution at intersections. “We will be riding or for those who are walking, we're gonna stick together as a group. Mayor Davis will be in the front,” the Missoula in Motion speaker said.

Organizers led a public countdown and activated the switch that brought the new lights on. After the lights were switched on, attendees began a group parade/ride down the trail.

The event was ceremonial; no legislative actions, votes or formal policy adoptions were recorded during the program. Funding and delivery details were credited in remarks to the Missoula Redevelopment Agency and contracting partners but specific budget line items or ordinance citations were not provided at the event.

Looking forward, city staff and partners said the lighting system is intended to support year-round commuting and recreation along the Bitterroot Trail while reducing light pollution in surrounding neighborhoods.