In July of 2019, the Missoula City Council approved a project to rehabilitate what was at the time known as the Higgins Avenue Bridge.  The project included four lanes of motor vehicle traffic, and wider pedestrian and bike lanes on both sides of the bridge separated by a rail from moving traffic.  The rehabilitation was said to be necessary to make the bridge safer and more spacious for everyone. 

The contract for construction of the bridge rehabilitation project was awarded to Sletten Construction for $16.5 million.  Construction began in October of 2020, and completion of the project was slated for 2021.  The rehabilitation of the newly named Beartracks Bridge is now expected to be complete in the Spring of 2023, nearly three years after construction started at a projected cost of around $17 million.

According to a front-page article written by Bret Anne Serbin in the December 16, 2022, edition of the Missoulian, City of Missoula staff is now proposing a redesign of the Beartracks Bridge rehabilitation project before the original project has even been completed.  The proposed redesign would reduce the number of motor vehicle lanes from four to two and incorporate protected bike lanes in the location of the current outlying motor vehicle lanes, making the multi-use paths on either side into pedestrian-only walkways.  The proposal is part of a larger project to reduce the number of motor vehicle lanes on Higgins Avenue from Brooks Street to Broadway Street.

Public engagement opportunities for the proposed redesign of the Beartracks Bridge rehabilitation project are expected until mid-January 2023, and City of Missoula staff would look to the Missoula City Council and the Montana Department of Transportation for approval later in January or early February.  There is currently no construction timeline or cost estimate available.

The Beartracks Bridge rehabilitation project that was designed, specified, bid, approved, and awarded included four lanes of motor vehicle traffic, not two.  Reducing the number of motor vehicle lanes on Beartracks Bridge would significantly constrict the flow of traffic into and out of downtown Missoula.  Please oppose the proposal to reduce the number of motor vehicle lanes on Beartracks Bridge from four to two.