BUTTE, Mont. – The Mining City continues to enhance its pedestrian experience in uptown Butte.
Recent upgrades have already been made at major intersections, like Park and Main, and Park and Montana. Now, more changes are planned.
A new project involves installing bulb-out curb extensions at Granite and Main. These extensions will include benches, bike racks, and planters.
Community development director Karen Byrnes explained the project’s goal.
“We saw the opportunity to design this intersection to make it both vehicle-friendly and pedestrian-friendly, elevate the accessibility and the walkability of that area, and just bring some really great changes to that space,” Byrnes said.
Construction is wrapping up at the northeast corner where the new Clearwater Credit Union building stands, and they’ll be responsible for the creation of the bulb-out curb on their corner. The rest of the work, totaling around $220,000, will be handled by a private contractor.
The focus is on improving safety and navigation while also attracting more foot traffic to local businesses.
“The businesses are excited to see this kind of thing happen,” Byrnes added. “You’re able to easily walk or get to places, and then you’re in this friendly business environment. It just lends to the overall feeling of safety, it’s more enjoyable, and it’s a good experience for everyone.”
Byrnes emphasized that the goal is to complete much of the work before winter sets in.
Additionally, future masterplan projects, including better sidewalk lighting and wayfinding for both cars and pedestrians, aiming for a safer and more accessible uptown Butte, are in the works.
