MISSOULA — The City of Missoula last week approved an agreement with a local contractor to transform South Avenue into a complete street – a plan that's been around for years.
The $485,000 agreement with WGM Group includes final design, right-of-way acquisition and bidding services, among others. City Council will give official approval on Monday night.
“We're getting ready to construct the project, which we have scheduled out in 2027,” said Ryan Guelff, the city's transportation engineer. “About 80% of the funding is primarily coming from the grant. The remaining 20% is a local match being shared by the city and county.”
The city submitted a grant application to the Federal Highway Administration back in 2022 and was awarded roughly $9.3 million in 2024. The city committed $1.5 million as a local match while the county pledged $842,000.
The project will convert South Avenue into a “complete street” including shared-use paths, turn lanes, lighting, and safer intersections and crosswalks. The project stretches from Reserve Street west to Clements Road.
“We've made a lot of progress with landowner meetings, stakeholder meetings and completing the preliminary design,” said Guelff. “Now we're here to finish the design off and acquire the right-of-way needed to construct the project.”
