MISSOULA — Reserve Street is the most dangerous traffic corridor in Missoula, and the city is asking for help from the public to figure out how to make it safer.
The Missoula Metropolitan Planning Organization, City of Missoula and Montana Department of Transportation are seeking public input on the Reserve Street Safety Action Plan, which would help inform planning to reduce traffic accidents and pedestrian fatalities.
According to a 2023 report from the Missoula Police Department, the top six intersections where accidents occur are all along Reserve Street. The report says 167 traffic accidents happened at these ‘High Risk’ intersections.
Reserve Street functions as a critical connection to Interstate 90 and Highway 93, with thousands of vehicles driving along the street each day. It also connects thousands of Missoulians with their neighborhoods and workplaces.
However, transportation planning officials said in a November Transportation Technical Advisory Committee meeting that it's not serving either function well.
“It serves these contrasting functions as a ‘stroad’,” Charles Menefee, associate planner with MPO said. “There is a recognition from all people that we’ve talked to that it is currently and likely in the future to have this auto-oriented quality.”
A ‘stroad’ is a development term for a street serving as a road. These thoroughfares feature very little regard for pedestrian safety, and are less economically efficient, according to a recent study from Kenesaw State University.
Menefee said the MPO is struggling to help the public understand that Reserve Street needs to serve more than drivers.
“We are seeing that people don’t have it in their mental framework as anything but that connection,” Menafee said.
Building off the Reserve Street Community Input Project completed in 2021, planners are using federal funding from the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program to pay for a crowd-sourced analysis of the corridor. This analysis takes place in the form of a map survey, where the public can place a pin and share thoughts and concerns about Reserve Street.
Kevin Davis, who runs a business along Reserve Street and moderates the “Let’s Improve Missoula’s Reserve Street” Facebook page, has advocated for changes to the corridor for many years. Davis said he’s frustrated that the work is still in the planning stages.
“I’m a little troubled by the safety study,” Davis said. “It’s another year with no improvements. There are things we could be doing today to reduce crashes.”
Posting to the more than 3,300 members of the Facebook Page, Davis frequently writes about issues along the street, pointing to successes other cities have had in reducing crashes. When asked why he is so passionate about road safety, Davis said he wants to advocate for a tangible change.
“I decided to choose a project locally that I can do something about,” Davis said. “It takes collective action to get our voice heard. It is great that they are finally doing something about it.”
On Thursday, December 12, Missoula’s Department of Public Works and Mobility are hosting a virtual public open house from 5:30-6:30 p.m. where people can chime in with their thoughts about the future of the city’s transportation projects, including the Reserve Street plan.
The plan is in its early phases, identifying the issues and developing options to choose from. The second phase of public outreach is scheduled for February 2025 and a final plan is expected in the summer of 2025.
The first implementation of the plan will take place through the fall and winter of 2025.
