What's Happening in Billings, MT…

A plan to convert a number of one-way streets in Billings into two-way streets is moving into the design phase.

The project intends to reduce traffic congestion in the downtown area, promoting cycling lanes, and making businesses more visible. The city surveyed the locations and got feedback from more than 450 community members before deciding to move into the next phase of the $7.4m project. Graphic design is a great way for project managers to show what the final design will look like.

The streets that have been selected for conversion include Second and Third Avenue as well as North 28th Street. According to Sarah Plath who works at the Billings Public Works as an engineer, they have been thinking about make more streets two-way for a long time. She has been going over studies conducted as far back as the ‘90s that looked in the possibility of making it happen.

Now that the project has moved into the design phase, the city engineer believes that construction will begin in the second half of 2023, but most of the work will be done in 2024. The city will organize a bidding process for public and private contractors who wish to take on the project. The bids will be read publicly once they are received, and then the city council will go over the bids before making a selection.