BOZEMAN — Driving down Highway 191, you may notice multiple white crosses, representing all the lives lost to vehicle accidents on this road.
Most recently, a memorial was added for two construction workers who died in a vehicle collision just last week. And for years, community members have been asking, how can we make this road safer?
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"We’ve really been listening to the community to be able to identify that as a need. So, MDT is trying to work together with everybody and we're hoping this project provides some benefit to the area as it grows," says Thaddeus Lesnik, project engineer for the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT).
He says improvement is coming.
"If there seems to be a repeatable pattern that can be fixed, it becomes more of a process or project than can be funded with safety dollars," he says.
According to a corridor study completed by the department, accidents occurring at the Mill and Rabel intersection are preventable.
"Data that was collected from 2008 to 2020—there were eight intersection-related crashes there and predictability says that seven of those crash could have been prevented if there was a traffic signal there," Lesnik says.
Lesnik adds that Gallatin Gateway has been growing—necessitating change at this intersection where multiple businesses, residences, and Gallatin Gateway School operate.
"There’s periods when street traffic could really benefit from a gap in the traffic instead of trying to shoot a gap and misjudging the speed or distance of vehicles," he says.
WATCH RELATED: Family, co-workers of men who died in Hwy. 191 crash honor their memory
Plans for the Mill and Rabel intersection include a long-awaited stop light with a signal for each lane. Pedestrian safety enhancements will also be added, including better sidewalks.
"To give some community enhancement for pedestrians. And it’s a growing area with subdivisions and people walking, so we want to serve more than just the driving and vehicular access that we can incorporate into one project," he says.
As for the project’s deadline, he says plans will be developed over the next year. And construction will begin in the spring or summer of 2027.
