MISSOULA – Improvements are underway in the University District to help improve sidewalk access.
Sidewalks along 5th and 6th streets between Helen and Ronald avenues will be under construction for about six weeks. Work will be performed on the sidewalks between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday through Sunday.
Parking requirements for residents in the area will be changing throughout the project and contractors will provide notices throughout the neighborhood.
Improvements are being made to provide ramp access for people with disabilities, including changing the grade of the ramps and a new textured ground surface. The new surface will alert vision-impaired people who are about to enter a roadway.
"Truncated domes is the technical term," said Missoula District Construction EngineerBob Vosen. "People are probably familiar with them. We are getting a lot of them around the communities now. It’s a series of raised domes or bumps at the bottom of the ramps with the landings. They let an individual that has vision impairment be able to detect they’re at the interface between the street and the sidewalk. It’s the current standard for the compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).”
The project is a part of the ADA Transition Plan initiated back in July of 2016 and includes nearly 90 intersections in Missoula.
The current upgrades are part of Zone 1 in a four-phase plan that will take place from April until November.
