Overview
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is developing the Central Montana Transportation Study to create a comprehensive long-term management plan in response to anticipated impacts from planned development and military activities impacting the region. The pre-MEPA/NEPA regional study will be a collaborative process with MDT, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), military, local jurisdictions, resource agencies, and the public to identify transportation needs and potential solutions.
The study covers a broad area within Central Montana, with specific focus on the Great Falls and Lewistown areas as well as MDT’s on-system routes providing access to United States Air Force (USAF) missile silos. A total of 15 counties are located within the study area, including Broadwater, Cascade, Choteau, Fergus, Golden Valley, Judith Basin, Lewis and Clark, Liberty, Meagher, Musselshell, Petroleum, Pondera, Teton, Toole, and Wheatland Counties.
In addition to evaluations encompassing the entire study area, multiple subcomponents will be focused on subareas of study. These include:
- Access Management Plan: 57th St South from 2nd Ave North to US 89 (RP 7.5 to RP 8.4) and US 89 from 57th St South to Secondary 228 (RP 87.4 to RP 90.4)
- Lewistown Subarea Analysis: MDT on-system routes within the urban boundary
- Great Falls Subarea Analysis: MDT on-system routes within the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) planning area
- Missile Field Construction Analysis: State highway system and local communities in the USAF missile field outside the MPO/urban areas of Great Falls and Lewistown
- Old Havre Highway & US 87 Analysis: Old Havre Highway from 25th Ave NE to US 87/15th St and US 87 from 25th Ave NE to Great Bear Ave
- US 87 Armington Junction – Otter Creek Canyon Analysis: US 87 corridor between Armington Junction and Otter Creek Canyon (RP 0.0 and 7.2)