Front/Main Two-Way Conversion
The City of Missoula applied for a large federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant in February 2023. This grant would provide significant federal funding to Missoula to enhance safety and mobility in the Downtown area. Projects included in this grant compile multiple projects into the Downtown Safety and Mobility (Downtown SAM) overarching project:
- Higgins Avenue from Brooks to Broadway
- Front and Main St. Two-way Conversion between Orange and Madison
- Riverfront Trail Connections between Ryman and Kiwanis Park
- Downtown Signal Optimization – 22 signals between Orange and Van Buren
Receiving this federal funding would help fulfillContinue reading
The City of Missoula applied for a large federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant in February 2023. This grant would provide significant federal funding to Missoula to enhance safety and mobility in the Downtown area. Projects included in this grant compile multiple projects into the Downtown Safety and Mobility (Downtown SAM) overarching project:
- Higgins Avenue from Brooks to Broadway
- Front and Main St. Two-way Conversion between Orange and Madison
- Riverfront Trail Connections between Ryman and Kiwanis Park
- Downtown Signal Optimization – 22 signals between Orange and Van Buren
Receiving this federal funding would help fulfill long-term safety and mobility improvements in Downtown Missoula that are included in the Downtown Master Plan. We want to share the current status of these projects and invite your feedback and input. Join Mayor Hess and City staff on Tuesday, May 9th from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm at the Wilma, 131 S Higgins Ave. We welcome you to learn more and engage with the City's current planning stage with the Downtown SAM projects. For in-depth information, please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) in the Documents section. We appreciate your time and interest in working with City staff to create creative solutions to safety and mobility in Downtown!
UPDATE:
A public meeting was held on May 9 that included an informational slideshow presentation followed by an opportunity for residents and downtown businesses owners to comment and ask questions about the projects. Prior to the meeting, six small group meetings with downtown businesses were held in late April and early May, and a summary notes document was compiled from those meetings.
Project Background
The Missoula Redevelopment Agency (MRA) completed a feasibility study in 2015, reviewing what it would take to restore Front Street and Main Street from

one-way streets back to two-way traffic operations in downtown Missoula. The Front and Main Street Two-Way Conversion is a continuation of this feasibility study and will develop a plan for the two well-traveled Missoula streets and access and circulation for the Kiwanis Park neighborhood.
Front and Main Streets are in the heart of Missoula. Currently two one-way streets, these roadways will be converted to two-way traffic, improving circulation, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and economic vitality in Downtown Missoula.
Recent Design Update
MRA and the City of Missoula are working with HDR Engineering to design the Front and Main Two-Way Conversion project to address the transportation needs of all users downtown. This design has the follow objectives:
- Promote Downtown Missoula as an accessible destination for people of all ages and abilities.
- Improve public safety by slowing vehicle speeds and increasing pedestrian visibility.
- Improve the efficiency of traffic circulation downtown.
- Provide an aesthetically pleasing streetscape that may include street trees, lighting, and landscaping.
- Enhance multi-modal transportation opportunities Downtown with the installation of separated, directional bike lanes. Bicycles will travel eastbound on south side of Main Street and westbound on the north side Front Street.
- Create curb extensions (bulb outs) at intersections on Front and Main Streets between Orange/Madison Streets to promote a pedestrian scale streetscape that reduces pedestrian crossing distances, increases pedestrian visibility, and provides for a safer walkable downtown.
- Enhance and relocate bus stops for a more efficient and user-friendly transit system.
- Modify the intersection of Orange/Front/Main Streets to function with new two-way traffic flows and to effectively work with potential future development at the Riverfront Triangle redevelopment site.
- A new traffic signal at the 5-legged intersection of Front/Madison/Hartman Streets to accommodate two-way traffic on Front Street and provide a dedicated traffic light phase for Hartman Street for an improved entry and outlet point for the Kiwanis Park neighborhood at Hartman Street.
- Enhance economic vitality by encouraging visitors, improving visibility, and simplifying access to downtown businesses.
- Advance the design of the Project to final construction drawings - allowing the Project to be bid for construction when a funding source has been identified.
The graphic below shows the early preliminary design of the Front and Main Street Two-Way Conversion from HDR. View a larger version of the map here.
Next steps:
- The Front and Main Street Two-Way Conversion Project is expected to be at the preliminary 90% design level and submitted to the City of Missoula for review in March 2023.
- The Front and Main Street Two-Way Conversion Project is part of a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant application the City/County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is submitting to the US Department of Transportation for potential construction funding. The RAISE grant could potentially fund several safety, ADA, and multi-modal connectivity projects in the downtown area. The grant application is due in March 2023, and staff will be notified of award status in Fall 2023. For more information, please visit the Higgins Corridor Project Engage Missoula page.
- If the City of Missoula were to receive federal funding, construction of the Front and Main Two-Way Conversion project would take place in 2025-2026.
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Get Involved
about 2 years agoWe want to hear from you! Feedback from residents and business owners is an important part of this project. Please take a moment to provide a comment or ask a question. Your involvement will help create a design that meets the needs of those who live, work, and shop in this area.
Wilmaover 1 year agoTwo-way is the way to go!
For a while I worked on Front Street between Higgins and Orange and crossed it to get to the bus stop. At the crossing by the entrance to Caras Park, drivers rarely see people waiting because they're going fast, it's an odd angle, and parked cars block the view of the crossing area. It's no wonder I see so many scarily close encounters between pedestrians and vehicles in that section. I think a two-way street would help to slow cars. When I drive this section, the multiple lanes make it feel more like an expressway than a downtown pedestrian-friendly street. It would also make accessing businesses easier!
0 comment0javajoealmost 2 years agoConnector to Riverfront Trails
As a bike rider I would appreciate a well-marked connector on the east-end between the riverfront trail and Front Street to provide access the Library. I agree with improved bike corridors along Front and Main. It's a bit dicey riding that section now. Lacking the suggested roundabout, I would recommend adding a flashing-light crosswalk to for pedestrian crossing on Front and Madison. As for the connector streets, I lean toward the neighborhood's consensus viewpoint on what works best for the community and the neighborhood. Important to maintain neighborhood character.
0 comment1Property Owneralmost 2 years agoGreat Ideas! Two-way Streets With Connectors Long Overdue!
I have a owned a property on Hartman St., adjacent to Kiwanis Park, for 20 yrs. I strongly support the conversion of Front and Main to 2-way streets. Supporting evidence for the benefits of such a conversion are well-established. 1-ways are relics of cold-war thinking, and they inhibit travel and business in a given area. It's been bothersome for me for 20 years to access my property, it's time for a change. I also strongly support connecting Hartman St. over to Clay St. Our little dead-end can become very congested, with no room for emergency vehicles. The garbage truck cannot come down to Hartman along the park. Make it a slow-speed connector, one-way if necessary. A bike/ped path from the connector up to Front St. would be helpful to access the new library. If the basketball court has to be removed, make a new one, it's popular. There is plenty of space at Kiwanis. The park overall is greatly under-utilized, and improved access would help. Many people in Missoula don't even know it exists! Out along Madison St., keep the short protected one-way along the west edge (between Front & Main), so those residents can easily access their property. Where Front intersects Madison, a roundabout does seem like a good idea, and there's plenty of space. Lord knows we don't need another stoplight! Overall, I'm very encouraged by this project - it's long overdue.
0 comment1LG9 months agoLeave this area as is
0 comment0disenchantedabout 2 years agoOppose the idea of adding any streets through Kiwanis Park. This is a terrible plan.
I appreciate Parson Resident's comment, and want to also offer my opposition to this deeply flawed plan which would fundamentally change this wonderful park space. While I'm not opposed to the idea of 2-way vehicle flow, I think it's going to increase traffic with little actual benefit to drivers' convenience. I'd also like to advocate for a traffic circle at the Front/Madison bridge intersection. Missoula is addicted to traffic lights, and people seem to be resigned to waiting indefinitely for some robotic device to allow them to proceed. There's plenty of room at that intersection for a circle and plenty of time for drivers to merge. People regularly go 40mph or faster over that bridge and it would naturally inhibit that. They're safer for non-motorized users and work very well in other locations throughout the City. Any civil engineer worth their salt would have included that option. Let's table this until we have a new Mayor and City Council. Is it deliberate that all the images you published related to this are such low-resolution?
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Key Dates
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November 2023