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Bozeman narrows Fowler Avenue design, shifts bike lanes to shared paths in 60% plan
Summary
Transportation director Nick Ross presented a 60% design for the Fowler Avenue Connection that narrows the roadway, moves it away from the riparian Section Line Ditch, and favors shared-use paths over on-street 'door-zone' bike lanes; public comment split over tree loss, parking and safety. Staff will refine plans before 90% design and right‑of‑way acquisition.
Nick Ross, Bozeman’s transportation and engineering director, told the City Commission that staff has slimmed the Fowler Avenue typical section and redesigned the corridor to reduce impacts on the riparian Section Line Ditch.
“We went from a 109 foot typical section at 30% down to an 85 foot typical section,” Ross said, describing changes intended to move the roadway farther from the open-channel ditch and to narrow pavement widths where possible. He said the 60% plan also replaces several on-street door‑zone bike lanes with shared‑use paths, adds neighborhood roundabouts, installs a rectangular rapid‑flashing beacon at Jennifer Street and proposes the city’s first raised intersection for traffic calming and improved pedestrian access.
The changes reflect four years of design and public engagement, Ross said, and staff proposed phasing construction by segment so work can begin on the northernmost segment once right‑of‑way negotiations and 90% design are complete. Staff also noted that funding for right‑of‑way acquisition and construction has been appropriated in the FY25 budget for the northern segment.
Residents at the public‑comment period gave mixed reactions. Maggie Harrison said she remains opposed to the overall connector and called for more conservation of the corridor; Patty Dickerson urged keeping boulevard trees and moving commuter bike lanes into the street rather than placing faster e‑bikes on widened sidewalks adjacent to homes. Other speakers, including members of the Bozeman Tree Coalition and Friends of Fowler, praised staff outreach and urged design changes to protect mature trees while keeping multimodal access.
Deputy Mayor and commissioners thanked staff for extensive outreach and encouraged additional refinements based on comments received. Ross said staff will carry many of the public suggestions into the 90% design and will continue public engagement as the project advances to right‑of‑way acquisition and construction sequencing.
The commission took no formal action on the 60% design; staff said a future 90% design will be presented following additional outreach and engineering work.
