The North 7th Avenue and Griffin Drive corridors in Bozeman have seen increased development and traffic in recent years. Griffin Drive is an east-west minor arterial roadway that is an important connection between the north-south minor arterial roadways North 7th Avenue and Rouse Avenue. Increased traffic demand at the intersection of North 7th Avenue and Griffin Drive is causing significant congestion and unacceptable amount of delay for roadway users. During peak traffic hours it is common to wait through multiple traffic signal cycles before being able to pass through the intersection. This is especially true for traffic making a left turn from Griffin Drive to North 7th Avenue.

MDT is aware of the issues at this intersection and is committed to making improvements. A project is currently being designed to increase capacity of the intersection to reduce delay. Improvements to traffic flow will be accomplished by reconfiguring the intersection through lane modifications and additions. The primary change will be adding a left turn lane to Griffin Drive, thereby creating a dual left-turn lane configuration, from Griffin Drive onto North 7th Avenue southbound towards Interstate 90. Other notable changes include providing an exclusive left-turn lane on the north, south and west approaches. Pedestrian and bicycle facilities will also be upgraded, and a combination of sidewalks and shared-use paths will be installed to allow for full use of these corridors by pedestrians and bicyclists.

The City of Bozeman is developing a separate project on Griffin Drive that will upgrade the roadway from 2 lanes to 3 consisting of one travel lane in each direction, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and a center two-way left-turn lane. That project will extend from approximately Maus Lane to Rouse Avenue.

The North 7th Avenue and Griffin Drive project is currently scheduled for construction in 2023 depending on completion of project development activities and availability of funding. The project will involve utility relocations and new right-of-way. The project is funded by a combination of funds from the Federal Highway Administration, State of Montana, and City of Bozeman.

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UPN 9312000