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Missoula Redevelopment Agency outlines Broadway River Corridor plan to curb erosion, add parkland
Summary
Missoula Redevelopment Agency-funded draft master plan presented Dec. 12 would tackle riverbank erosion, extend riparian area protections, add roughly two acres of parkland east of Russell, repair trails and phase river-channel and upland improvements toward design and engineering.
The Missoula Redevelopment Agency-funded Broadway River Corridor draft master plan, presented on Dec. 12, proposes a phased program of river-channel changes, trail repairs and park expansions aimed at addressing erosion and improving public access.
Morgan Valiant, speaking about the project, said the work follows multiple years of public engagement and on-site data collection. The plan targets infrastructure problems across the corridor — failing boat ramps, dead-end trails, defunct irrigation infrastructure and areas where waste concrete has altered flow and trapped juvenile fish.
The proposal would move the main river flow more toward the channel center in places where added fill and concrete have pushed currents against eroding banks. Valiant said that in the South Bank area the plan would extend riparian zones to gain park space and protect commuter trails; the draft estimates creating about two acres of new parkland east of Russell and improvements to Lions Park on the west bank.
The project includes both in-stream and upland measures, with benches, trails, and commuter connections on Broadway to be built in multiple phases. Valiant said Missoula Redevelopment Agency investment has moved the master plan through initial steps and that the next stage is design and engineering, contingent on adoption of the master plan.
Why it matters: The corridor combines river ecology, public-recreation access and transportation connectivity in urban Missoula. Work that shifts flow and alters channel form has engineering, permitting and habitat implications and will require coordination across city, county and redevelopment entities.
What’s next: The plan’s sponsors hope to secure adoption of the master plan in the coming months and move into design and engineering; outside construction funding would likely be sought for later phases. No specific funding commitments or construction contracts were reported in the program segment.
