Three Busy Missoula Streets Will Have Detours Soon

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On May 15, the Public Works and Mobility Department’s Street Maintenance crews, in coordination with the Montana Department of Transportation, will begin a street maintenance project on Brooks St. from Mount Ave. to Higgins Ave. Brian Hensel is the Public Works & Mobility Deputy Director of Streets and he said the project will require some detours. 

“We will keep one lane of northbound traffic going through the work zone open during work hours and then after five, we will open up the work zone so people can travel either direction during the night hours,” Hensel said. “The southbound traffic will be detoured onto 5th Avenue and they will be diverted up to Orange. Then they can continue Orange to Stephens and then tie back into Brooks.” 

Traffic flow along Brooks St. during construction will be managed as follows: 

• One lane of northbound traffic will be open on Brooks St. throughout construction. 
• No on-street parking will be allowed during construction. 
• Southbound traffic out of downtown will be detoured down S. 5th Ave. W. with a lefthand turn onto Orange St., continuing down Orange St./Stephens Ave. to Brooks St. 
• There will be intermittent detours at W. Beckwith St. E. when crews are milling and paving at the Brooks St. Intersection. 
• Mount Ave. is currently closed from Blaine St. to Crosby St. for a water main replacement project, which also includes detours around that construction area. 
• Traffic on Higgins Ave. will not be affected by this project. 

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Hensel said the project is expected to be completed around May 23. 

“If we can get done a little early, we may have it done on the 18th,” Hensel said. “It just kind of depends on asphalt availability, weather, and if we can keep all the equipment running. I hope the project will only last four days, Monday through Thursday, but we wanted to give ourselves a little extra time the following week if we wanted to finish up.” 

They will be milling approximately two-tenths of the old asphalt out and then repaving that entire section curb to curb. According to Hensel, milling and paving projects such as this one help to prolong the street’s life by removing damaged pavement and replacing it with new asphalt. Damaged pavement allows water to seep into the cracks, which breaks up the asphalt during freeze and thaw cycles and creates potholes. 

In addition, Hensel asked everyone to use extra caution when they are driving through the work zone because workers will be present in a limited workspace. The City of Missoula encourages everyone to find an alternate route to avoid the construction area when possible. 

More project information and updates, if needed, can be found here.