BOZEMAN — If your commute takes you anywhere along Love Lane or South Alaska Road, you've probably encountered some traffic. Now, because of that, Gallatin County is looking into safety improvements along those sections of road.
“I mean, it was hard, especially going towards town because of the fence. They're coming, you know, to the north,” says Middle Creek Resident Mark Huber.
Huber has concerns about driving towards Bozeman along Durston Road from his neighborhood in Four Corners.
“The four-way stop, it did help a lot with safety,” says Huber.
Gallatin County Commissioner Jennifer Boyer says the county did add a stop sign, but that is only a temporary fix.
“So, Love and Durston we hear a lot about,” says Boyer.
It's not just Love and Durston, but also a section on South Alaska Road at East Valley Center Road and Cameron Bridge Road.
“Our pace of development is so fast and, you know, our infrastructure is lagging behind,” says Boyer.
Which is why the county now is asking the public for input on what sort of improvements they would like to see.
“What we're really trying to get is people's lived experiences who use these areas on a daily or weekly basis,” says Boyer.
In a study the county did from June 2021, the Durston and Love intersection had 15 crashes, nine and seven crashes along the two intersections on South Alaska. These are the intersections the county wants to improve—the only issue, money.
“We don't have a pot of magic money to get them done, but they are the top projects that we've identified," Boyer says.
According to Boyer, the county has also secured a federal grant for $250,000 to begin planning improvements for five other intersections in Gallatin County.
“There’s a lot of need in the triangle area between Bozeman and Four Corners and Belgrade for improvements,” says Boyer.
The County is hosting two public meetings, one virtual on Dec. 14 from 12–1 p.m. and in person from 4-6 p.m. More information can be found at the Gallatin County website.
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