Reserve Street Safety Action Plan

Draft Plan Public Comment Period:

We are in the last stages of the Reserve Street Safety Action Plan with a Draft Plan Available for Review. The plan can be downloaded and view through the documents tab on the right side of the page. Please provide comments through the comment tool at the bottom of the page or directly to staff contacts under who's listening. For in-person or online public comment please attend the March 17th Transportation Policy Coordination Committee Meeting from 1:30pm to 3:00pm at Council Chambers. For details on how to attend this meeting please visit the City of Missoula meetings calendar page: https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/1149/AgendasWebcastsMinutes

We're working on a plan to improve transportation safety for all who travel Reserve Street.

The Missoula Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), City of Missoula, and Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) are working together to plan for a safer Reserve Street from Interstate-90 to Brooks Street (U.S. Highway 12). This safety action plan is funded by the Federal Highway Administration's Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program. This corridor was selected for a safety action plan due its high crash history and complexity when compared to other corridors in the region.

Project Background

Reserve Street is a critical part of Missoula as well as part of the larger U.S. Highway 93, which runs north-south through Missoula as a connector to Idaho and northwestern Montana. It functions as a thoroughfare for freight, a passage for retail, a drive home or to work for commuters, and a road that must be crossed for thousands of travelers each day. It serves as a shopping and business district for dozens of retailers. There are multiple neighborhoods and schools that are located along or near Reserve Street. It sees some of the largest traffic counts in the state of Montana. With such heavy and multi-faceted usage, this plan provides an opportunity to identify how Reserve Street can more safely serve all users of all abilities.

This safety plan builds upon the Reserve Street Community Input Project completed in 2021. This project laid the groundwork for understanding the needs and desires from surrounding communities and stakeholders regarding the future of Reserve Street. The safety action plan will build upon prior work to assess the safety of Reserve Street for all modes of transportation and all abilities and includes intersections and driveways along the corridor. Assessment will use public input along with key transportation planning data sources to understand where, why, and how safety challenges arise. Using this information, the safety plan will be able to provide informed safety interventions for implementation across the near, medium, and long term.

Your feedback, along with those who live near, work on, and commute along Reserve Street in Missoula, is highly valued. You may also email Becca@bigskypublicrelations.com to provide feedback, which will be logged and reviewed by the project team.

What we've heard in during engagement:

Phase One:

• In phase one of outreach and data collection, our team discovered themes such as concerns about turning left or crossing Reserve Street when there is not a signal, high speeds throughout the corridor, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, traffic congestion, darkness at night and early morning, entering and exiting businesses, and more.
• Data collection also indicated that most crashes occur at or near intersections and involve rear-ends, turning vehicles or vehicles trying to cross Reserve Street.
• Based on this information, the Reserve Safety Action Plan team has developed a potential menu of alternatives along the Reserve Street Corridor to enhance safety.

Phase Two:

• In phase two of outreach, our team presented strategies identified in the Strategies Memorandum included in the documents tab. These strategies combine both data analysis and public input for key infrastructural improvements and are oriented to the most needed and effective safety improvements.
• Boards, committees and stakeholders provided support for strategies that balance short and long-term implementation approaches, balance safety for all modes for transportation and do not bias traffic congestion.

Phase Three:

• In phase three of outreach, our team presented the fivepriority design packages which were identified in the Strategies in the Memorandum. These were selected through public and stakeholder input in phase two of public engagement. These five priority design packages include engineering design and cost estimates providing actionable products for next steps of project implementation. These design packages spanning the corridor can be viewed in detail in the draft plan accessed through the documents window.
  • Package A: Includes several interventions aimed to be low-cost, high impact and feasible to implement in a near-term manner. These design interventions include lighting on the Clark Fork River Bridge, Speed Management Signage in the highest speed sections of the corridor, enhanced pedestrian crossings at three key locations, improved signal timing and operations. Public input showed greatest favor towards the Clark Fork River Bridge lighting component.
  • Package B: Access Management between River Road and Brooks Street. Access management involves introduction of medians and new controlled intersection points to minimize left turns off of and on to the corridor. These turning movements contribute to the majority serious injury crashes along this section of the corridor.
  • Package C: American Way and Reserve Street Intersection: The plan provides three design alternatives to address the crash trends at this intersection. This includes a design that eliminates East/West travel across Reserve Street on American Way, introduction of a signalize intersection and a roundabout. Public input revealed substantial support for for signalized intersection design.
  • Package D: River Road and Reserve Street Intersection: The plan provides three design alternative to address the crash trends at this intersection. This include a design the eliminates East/West travel across Reserve Street on River Road, introduction of a signalize intersection and a roundabout. Public input revealed substantial support for the roundabout intersection design.
  • Package E: Mullan Road and Reserve Street Intersection: The plan provides one design alternative to address the crash trends at this intersection. The design concept is designed to eliminate left turning conflicts off of Mullan Road on to Reserve Street. These turning movement contribute to the majority of serious injury crashes at the intersection. Public input revealed support for this design but it is not seen as high of a priority as other project packages.

Your feedback, along with those who live near, work on, and commute along Reserve Street in Missoula, is highly valued. You may also email Becca@bigskypublicrelations.com to provide feedback, which will be logged and reviewed by the project team.