BILLINGS — North and South 27th Street will soon see new traffic signals, pedestrian crossings, and pavement from end to end, the Montana Department of Transportation said Monday in Billings.
Project managers and engineers met with members of the public to answer questions at the Billings Depot.
“We’re going to start reconstructing most of 27th Street from the interstate to the top of Airport Road,” said project manager Shane Johnson.
The project includes updating every street light and traffic signal, updating pedestrian crossings to be easier for those with disabilities, and repaving the entire length of 27th Street.
“Every corner that has signals now is going to get new signals," said Johnson. "And that includes the pedestrian push button signals. It will all be ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant to the newest standards.”
The project was supposed to start in July, but only one company makes the new signals the transportation department will put in. And they couldn't get the signals to Billings until now.
“It’s being started about a month and a half late because of material procurement issues," Johnson said. "The signal poles and the lumieres. There is only one manufacturer right now bidding work for MDT. They were so busy that they couldn’t supply us with materials until now.”
Construction is scheduled to start next week, and go until the snow hits.
Johnson said this year crews will start on electrical work and some pedestrian crossings from the I-90 interstate on-ramp to Fourth Avenue South.
Work will pick up in April 2020, weather dependent. Then the work will ramp up to include the north end of 27th, replacing traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and repaving the road.
Johnson said the project will cost about $13 million. He added that 87 percent of the money came from federal highway grants, and about 13 percent came from the state.
Work is expected to be complete about October 2020. The contractor is Riverside Contracting.
