The intersection at the heart of any city is of extreme importance for both the city residents and its visitors. It has long been recognized that the most significant intersection in Hamilton, the intersection of Highway 93 and Main Street and Marcus Street is not exactly welcoming, nor aesthetically appealing, and is difficult to navigate for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. The need to address the situation in some fashion was recognized in the Downtown Master Plan and improving the intersection was made a priority in the plan but without diving into the details of how to make it happen.
An effort to build on the Downtown Master Plan, by providing detailed and actionable goals and strategies to improve the area, did begin in earnest, however, when the Connect 93 program was initiated. Connect 93 is a plan for improving transportation connectivity, safety, and the aesthetics around the intersection. It is a collaborative effort between the City of Hamilton, the Hamilton Downtown Association and Community Builders, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping local officials create strong and prosperous communities throughout the American West. The aim of the collaborative is to enhance the area around the intersection to be more welcoming and to better balance the needs of bicycles, cars, and people.
Using grant funds provided by Community Builders through its technical assistance program, the project was initiated last summer. A team came and helped facilitate an effort to engage the community in the process of forming a shared vision of what a safe, and welcoming, intersection would look like and how it would work. Meetings were held starting in the fall of 2019 and surveys were distributed seeking public input as the team explored different ways of balancing vehicle, pedestrian and bike mobility to connect local businesses through low-cost strategies and long-range ideas to improve the sense of place around Hamilton’s “gateway.”
According to Hamilton City Planning Director Matthew Rohrbach, the project will not only make improvements in safety and beautification, but it will also be an economic boost to the area. He said the project is complicated and involves lots of stakeholders, including surrounding property owners and businesses and agencies, including Montana Department of Transportation, Montana Rail Link, the grocery store, the Chamber of Commerce and others.
“We are really looking for public input on this,” said Rohrbach. “In this project, we want to think big, but we also want to be realistic. We don’t want to come up with ideas that can’t be implemented from the perspective of landowners and agencies we need to deal with.”
This project is not focused on implementing specific ideas, but rather, on creating a community-driven vision for the Highway 93-Main Street intersection and outlining actionable strategies for achieving that vision. The principle issues to be addressed include connectivity, safety and beautification.
Rohrbach said that safety was probably the primary issue.
“Safety is really driving it all,” he said. “The intersection of Highway 93 and Main Street does not feel safe for many members of the community.” High traffic speeds and wide intersections can make this area feel dangerous to everyone—whether in cars, on bikes, or on foot. He said the project will focus on strategies to help calm traffic, encouraging drivers to be alert, and helping the community reach their destination in a safe way.
Connectivity describes how easily pedestrians, cars, bikes, etc. can get from one place to another. Systems such as streets, sidewalks, and trails, make up a transportation network. The better these systems are linked, and the easier it is for people to reach their destination, the stronger the area’s connectivity.
The intersection at Highway 93 and Main Street has some major connectivity issues. With no sidewalks on the west side of the intersection and fast moving traffic coming from various locations (Main Street, Marcus Street, the highway, Safeway, the brewery/baseball fields, etc.) people find it difficult to get around this intersection, no matter their choice of transportation. This project will focus on strategies to make this area easier to access.
As for beautification, Rohrbach said there is an abundance of opportunity to make this intersection more attractive. Improvements such as murals, medians, green space, and better utilizing the space around this intersection will contribute to a stronger sense of place.
Although a potential vision is taking shape and some detailed ideas and options have been developed, Rohrbach urged citizens to get engaged, if they are not already, as they move towards settling on some ideas and strategies over the course of the next month. They are hoping to finalize a plan for action by the end of April or early May.
The plan itself, he said, will necessarily be implemented over time. “We are not going out to do all this in one fell swoop,” he said. Some parts might be implemented immediately, others may take years, but having the whole plan is important and will be useful in applying for money to complete the various projects.
Rohrbach said that anyone interested in giving input can do so on the internet at www.connect93hamilton.com. You can sign up for updates on the process and also follow developments on the connect93hamilton Facebook page.
The city is also moving forward simultaneously with its Wayfinding Plan, a project that sort of dovetails with the Connect 93 program. The city is currently finalizing its decision about the signs that will be used to designate the various pedestrian and bike routes, emergency routes and other directional signs to the hospital and the city hall, courthouse, museum and other destinations. Implementing installation of the signs will also be done incrementally.
There is a Wayfinding program already to some degree, but right now it is not coordinated and it’s disjointed, according to Rohrbach. He said there may be a sign at the highway giving direction to a destination, but there may be no follow-up signs to actually get you there.
“We’ve got a lot of plans, now we are trying hard to get something in on the ground,” said Rohrbach. He said they may have a complete plan done in a month or two. He invited anyone with any questions or input to call him directly at 363-6717 or email him: mrohrbach@cityofhamilton.com.