First Look At The Major Bozeman Area Intersections To Be Improved

If you travel between Belgrade and Bozeman often, you'll be interested to know that Gallatin County is in the early stages of planning improvements for three very busy intersections. When the projects begin, you might need to adjust your commute a bit.

Before the moaning and groaning begins, the good news right now is that these improvement projects are in the early planning stages. There aren't a whole lot of specifics about what exactly is to be done, but the intersections to be worked on HAVE been identified.

Gallatin County is in the early stages of identifying improvement options for three critical intersections on County roads between Belgrade and Bozeman. These intersections were identified in the Greater Triangle Area Transportation Plan (GTATP) as needing improvements to address crash trends and improve traffic flow.

According to the official website dedicated to the projects, review and approval is not scheduled until Spring 2024, but that will be here before we know it! Public input is encouraged regarding these projects, and a virtual public meeting is going to be held on December 14th.  (Others might get scheduled, but as of this writing there is only one listed.)

On December 14, 2023, Gallatin County will host a live virtual public meeting and public open house to present preliminary findings and gather feedback on potential improvements. Virtual Public Meeting: 12:00 PM

VIEW THE GREATER TRIANGLE PLAN HERE

Another piece of (sort of) good news is that when construction does begin, all three of the intersections are pretty easy to avoid with a little planning ahead. So which intersections are getting improved and why?

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NOTE: The following was taken verbatim from the project website as to avoid any interpretation about what's going on and why.

The County expects to identify a preferred alternative for each intersection by the end of Spring 2024. After receiving approval from the County Commission, design of each alternative will commence. The final design, right-of-way acquisition, permitting, and construction phases will follow as projects are prioritized and funding becomes available. Short-term or temporary improvements, if identified, may be constructed much sooner. The County is actively seeking grant funding so improvements can be completed in a timely manner.

Alaska Road South / Cameron Bridge Road:
The GTATP indicated that this intersection is congested and has a trend of angle crashes causing injuries. This intersection is also in a developing area south of Belgrade which is experiencing increasing amounts of traffic, especially since construction of the East Belgrade I-90 Interchange in 2015.

Alaska Road South / East Valley Center Road:
This intersection is on a primary travel route between Bozeman, Belgrade, the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, and other developing areas of the County. As traffic volumes increase and development continues to occur in the area, additional traffic control (such as a roundabout, traffic signal, or otherwise) is anticipated to be warranted at this intersection to help improve traffic flow and address a trend of rear-end crashes.

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Love Lane / Durston Road:
This intersection has a history of crashes and general safety concerns relating to visibility, travel speeds, and intersection geometry. Durston Road approaches Love Lane from the east at a steep downgrade which increases safety concerns, especially in the winter. Recently, a construction detour has placed even more strain on the already congested intersection.

PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE was on December 14, 2023 | 4:00 – 6:00 PM at the Gallatin County Courthouse (311 W Main St) in the Community Room. There will be another public engagement opportunity for more information if you cannot attend the virtual town hall. There are also several FAQs on the project website. You can sign up for project updates on the website, too.