MISSOULA — Many paths make Missoula accessible by foot or bike.
One thing is constant on the Bitterroot Trail, it's used, no matter the weather, by Missoulians on the move.
"It's incredibly used [by] commuters in the morning or in the evenings," Missoula Redevelopment Agency senior project manager Annette Marchesseault told MTN.
To make the trail safer, the city has started the process of installing lights.
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The lighting will span 2.6 miles from the Milwaukee Trail intersection toward the Reserve Street Bridge.
"The main goal of this project is safety. It's an incredible investment in the center of Midtown," Marchesseault said.
The Missoula Redevelopment Agency (MRA) wants to make travel safer, "I have heard people being uncomfortable," Marchesseault noted.
Safety starts by adding lighting to a section of the path that runs right through town with many intersections.
"The lighting is spaced so that it will be continuous lighting. You won't be going from a lit area into a dark area into a lit area," Marchesseault said.
MRA notes that the lighting will be dark sky LEDs which focuses the beams downward onto the trail where the light is needed most.
"It will light the trail at night, but we won't have what we call light pollution up into the dark sky," Marchesseault explained.
The $1.69 million in funding for this project comes from Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and is not a new tax increase.
"That funding, it's used to reinvest back into the district," Marchesseault stated.
MRA says making both urban renewal districts safer is a major priority.
"The Midtown Association has been advocating for this safety for a number of years. If TIF funding were not used for this lighting project. It wouldn't happen. There's no other funding source in the city for this," Marchesseault said.
Construction along the trail will take place until August.
People with questions or concerns can contact MRA at (406) 552-6160.
