MISSOULA — The Missoula Senior Center hosted an open house for the Higgins Corridor Plan Friday, taking public comment on three proposed changes to Higgins Avenue from Brooks to Broadway.
The plan, which can be read in detail here, tries to improve the safety of travel by encouraging alternative modes of transportation. Aaron Wilson, Missoula’s infrastructure and mobility planning manager, said at the meeting that the changes could drastically reduce traffic accidents.
“Safety is our number one concern,” Wilson said. “We want to make sure it is safe and accessible for everyone, regardless of the mode that they are choosing. So we want to make sure that it’s accessible for driving, for biking, walking, and transit.”
One popular plan choice at the meeting was to add protected bike lanes along the road, reducing the traffic by a lane and giving a dedicated area to drivers trying to turn left.
Wilson said that public comment will continue to be considered throughout the summer, as the final plan is expected to be put to vote by the Missoula City Council around that time.
"I think there’s changes that are going to happen in Missoula,” Wilson said. “We’re hoping to provide a transportation facility that accommodates that, whatever that looks like.”
