Beartracks Underbridge Playspace

The Montana Department of Transportation rebuilt the bridge on Higgins Avenue, starting in 2020 and finishing in 2023. The structure was renamed the Beartracks Bridge in April of 2021 to honor the historical culture and families of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

With support from MDT and the City of Missoula, the underbridge parking lot has been converted to the Beartracks Underbridge Playspace. The space features brightly painted pillars and asphalt with two sets of concrete cornhole boards, three concrete tennis tables, one basketball hoop, four-square and hopscotch outlines, five steel tables, and two large bike racks, all completed in 2023 and 2024.

Future planned improvements include decorative and functional lighting, climbing features, and skating features, in addition to the painted dumpsters that were rolled out in March of 2025. The underbridge playground is a conversion of a dark and dreary parking lot to a colorful and vibrant playspace for all ages that improves the connectivity between Caras and East Caras parks. It is available for people of all ages to use.

Clark Fork River Access Sites

Since the removal of the Milltown Dam in 2008, recreation on the Clark Fork River in the Heart of Missoula has increased dramatically, creating erosion and overused pathways in and out of the river throughout the Downtown corridor. The City of Missoula completed the Clark Fork River Restoration & Access Plan in 2023, and work is underway to formalize a few entry/exit points in the waterway.

Specific access sites will be enhanced at the Madison Street Bridge on the north side of the river, the Beartracks Bridge on the south side of the river, and at Toole Park on the south side of the river. River corridor restoration will also take place to help reduce and eliminate the 30+ man-made trails coming out of the river. These formal access sites will help direct people to enter and exit the river where there are restrooms, garbage cans, and parking. For more information, visit https://www.engagemissoula.com/clark-fork-river-restoration-access-project.

Clark Fork River Terrace at Brennan’s Wave

With a focus on increasing the connections to the Clark Fork River, improving access, visibility, and water quality, reducing safety hazards, and better connecting the park to the river, the terrace at Brennan’s Wave will be a significant improvement adjacent to Caras Park and should be completed in May of 2025.

The project was funded by a $1.2 million-dollar grant from the federal Economic Development Administration, plus funding from the Missoula Downtown Foundation, the Missoula Redevelopment Agency, Missoula Parks Maintenance District, and the Missoula Open Space Bonds. Constructed by Dick Anderson Construction (DAC), the project includes waterfront terrace seating, rock stairs, a long ADA sidewalk to the water, handrails and landscaping.

Downtown SAM (Safety, Access, & Mobility)

The Downtown Safety, Access and Mobility (SAM) Project is a transformative infrastructure project aimed at enhancing the safety, accessibility, and mobility in the Heart of Missoula. Funded primarily by a $24-million-dollar federal RAISE grant awarded in June 2023, the project encompasses several key components, including significant improvements to Higgins Avenue from Broadway to Brooks, conversion of Front and Main to two-way streets from Madison to Orange, widening of Ron’s River Trail, an ADA ramp from the Beartracks Bridge to the riverfront parks, gateway improvements to the parks at Ryman, Pattee and Kiwanis Park, and downtown-wide traffic signal optimization.

The goals of the project are to:

•         Create safer streets for all modes of transportation
•         Improve access and circulation
•         Create an inviting streetscape that showcases Downtown as a destination
•         Support economic health and investment in Downtown

The project is still in the planning and design phases with DJ&A as the lead engineering/planning firm. Construction is estimated to take place in 2027 and 2028 with Jackson Contractor Group as the general contractor on the project.

To learn more about the project, visit https://www.engagemissoula.com/downtown-safety-access-mobility-project or contact Project Manager Megan McMeekin ([email protected]) at City Public Works.  

John Engen Local Government Building

Aside from the Downtown Post Office, the former federal building at 200 East Broadway has been vacant since the U.S. Forest Service moved out in 2015. Missoula County and the City of Missoula received the title to the 100-year-old building from the federal government in January 2023.

Designed in Italian Renaissance revival style and constructed of Indiana limestone and granite, the building was erected between 1911-1913 with additions in 1929 and 1937.

Today the city and the county are working to clean out the hazardous materials (asbestos, lead); upgrade plumbing, heating and electrical systems; and renovate the newly-named John Engen Local Government Building, making way for both city and county services to occupy the building upon completion. This will open up additional office space in Downtown for new uses.  The estimated costs are around $16-million dollars, and will be funded by the Missoula Local Government Building Special District. Full occupancy of the building is likely two years out.

For more information on the project visit https://www.engagemissoula.com/federal-building or contact Strategic Projects Administrator John Adams ([email protected]).

Old Library Block

With nearly 60% approval from Missoula County voters for a $30-million-dollar construction bond, plus an additional $6-million in private funds, the new library at 455 E. Main commenced construction in 2018 and opened its doors 2021. The actual cost of what is now the World’s Best Library was $38 million, thanks to the land exchange that happened between Missoula County and the Payne Family.

In 2019, the Payne family donated the 300 block of East Main Street – the former Missoula Public Library building – to the City of Missoula. This generous donation of land created an opportunity for the city to collaborate with partners to develop the block in a way that meets community goals outlined in the 2019 Downtown Master Plan.

With support from the Missoula Economic Partnership, the Missoula Redevelopment Agency selected Edlen & Co/de Chase Miksis to help develop a viable plan for the block. Through the fall of 2023 and winter of 2024, the team did significant outreach to downtown stakeholders and neighbors to better understand the interests and hopes for the site.

The team’s goals for the site align with the City and MRA’s goals for the site, including engaging local partners, developing new workforce housing, activating ground floor spaces, and approaching building design with innovation and environmental sustainability in mind. For more information, visit https://www.engagemissoula.com/library-block.

Parking District Expansion to the Hip Strip

In an effort to ensure Hip Strip businesses have on-street parking for their customers, the Missoula Parking Commission is expanding the parking district across the river and connecting it to the University Neighborhood parking district. This effort is aligned with the newly-adopted Missoula Parking Plan, which aims to improve data-driven decision making, optimize management practices, and respond to the need of the greater Downtown community. District expansion requires city council approval, and the process will commence in the summer of 2025.

Riverfront Triangle

Missoula’s Riverfront Triangle – bounded by Broadway, Orange Street, and the Clark Fork River – remains vacant, and nearly all the individual parcels have been listed for sale. High interest rates, construction costs, and infrastructure needs – paired with an uncertain economy – has created challenges in advancing the development of the site. It remains to be seen what will happen there.