The Montana Department of Transportation is holding an in-person open house from 4-7 p.m. Feb. 10 in the Missouri Room at the Civic Center on the planned River’s Edge Trail Connector project.
There will be a Zoom open house from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Feb. 15, with a slideshow presentation followed by a question and answer session with an opportunity to provide comment.
Registration is required and can be done here.
The project would provide a missing link in the River’s Edge Trail system by constructing a pedestrian trail near the Missouri River in Great Falls along River Drive.
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“The River’s Edge Trail Connector Project will move the River’s Edge Trail from between Broadwater Bay and 1st Avenue to alongside the river. This project will replace the trail section that is highly confusing for users due to its route behind the police department and the water park. Moving the trail will improve safety for pedestrians and trail users, as the current section crosses busy streets and an active railway in two places. The proposed trail alignment along the edge of the river eliminates those crossings,” according to MDT.
MDT is teaming with the City of Great Falls, the River’s Edge Trail Foundation, and TD&H Engineering for the project.
In 2019, City Commissioners approved agreements with the Montana Department of Transportation and the River’s Edge Trail Foundation to initiate the project that will eliminate the “the circuitous route through the police station parking lot, a currently dangerous location due to the potential for conflicts between vehicles and bicyclists/pedestrians.”
River’s Edge Trail reroute project on Nov. 19 commission agenda
The proposed new route for the River’s Edge Trail on River Drive South. Courtesy River’s Edge Trail Foundation and LPW Architecture.
The trail will cross the north entrance to Broadwater Bay parking and boat ramp before traversing through the park. At the north end of the open park area, it will follow the edge of River Drive along the Missouri River. From the railroad bridge, the pathway will divert west and hug the bank of the river for about 300 feet. From the riverbank, the trail will turn away from the river and enter the park, where it will link up with the existing trail at a “T” intersection just south of Central Avenue West. The proposed new trail will be 10-feet wide with five-inch thick concrete surfacing, according to MDT.
During the design process, MDT will investigate shifting River Drive South away from the river south of the railroad bridge to minimize impacts to the river. This option could create more space between the trail and the road, increasing trail safety.
MDT will also be considering two design alternatives for the section of the trail that hugs the riverbank. A retaining wall or bridge will be needed to keep the trail away from the river.
The first alternative option includes constructing a portion of the trail as a causeway with a retaining wall under the railroad bridge. The retaining wall will be located next to the railroad bridge pier and slightly encroach into the river channel. Hydraulic modeling is being completed to determine if this option is feasible.
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The second option involved building a bridge along the riverbank under and around the railroad bridge pier. This option is being examined for feasibility around the bridge pier and along the riverbank. Portions of the bridge may be a cantilevered structure.
MDT is seeking public comment on the project and the design alternatives.
Those wishing to comment on the project should contact Ella Currier at ellac@strategies360.com or 406-465-7198.
The River’s Edge Trail Foundation, City of Great Falls and other groups have struggled for nearly 30 years to find a way to reroute the convoluted jog the trail makes behind the police department, water park and crosses two active rail lines.
The project was presented to the commission in June 2016 and they directed staff to work with MDT and the foundation to design and fund the project.
The agreements approved in 2019 formalized the project scope, maintenance responsibilities and financial contributions that will ultimately lead to construction of the project, according to the staff report.
The city Park and Recreation department committed $15,000 to the match with state funds.
Since that 2016 commission meeting, city staff has coordinated with the local Metropolitan Planning Organization and MDT to commit federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds to construct the project, with the required 13.42 percent match to be provided locally by the River’s Edge Trail Foundation.
Through the local transportation planning process, which includes the city, county and state, projects are identified for the use of various federal transportation funding sources, including Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds.
The Montana Department of Transportation’s Montana Air Congestion Initiative-Guaranteed Program sets aside some of those funds for eligible projects, which are bike and pedestrian projects, that are identified through the local transportation planning process, Andrew Finch, the city’s transportation planner, told The Electric in 2019.
The trail rerouting project was included in the Transportation Improvement Program document in 2018.
In March 2019 , the foundation and other community donors celebrating raising $250,000 toward the project. Those funds will be used toward matching the federal dollars.
Rerouting the trail will cost an estimated $1.976 million for all phases of development. That figure includes inflation and MDT’s indirect costs, according to city staff.
Of that cost, 86.58 percent, or $1.7 million will be provided by the Federal CMAQ program. The River’s Edge Trail Foundation has secured donations and financial commitments for the projected $266,000 in match, officials said in 2019.
Since actual project costs could fluctuate, city staff indicate there may be a need for the city to consider providing some of the matching funds but at this time, no city funding source had been identified in 2019.
The city’s Park and Recreation Department will be responsible for maintenance of the project upon completion when it becomes part of the River’s Edge Trail system. The department has the manpower and equipment to do so, according to the city.
