The Montana Department of Transportation will hold an open house from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Smith Valley School gymnasium for the Batavia intersection improvement project. The state is considering intersection improvements such as installing a roundabout at the intersection of Batavia Lane and U.S. 2 West to address safety issues there.

“The risk of severe crashes at the intersection of Batavia Lane and Highway 2 West is high,” according to a press release from the Montana Department of Transportation. “The Montana Department of Transportation is inviting area community members to discuss how to make this intersection safer and more efficient for all users.”

The project is reportedly in its earliest phase of development and MDT is currently looking into “assessing the practicality and effectiveness of all possible options.”

But according to the project website, a 2016 state traffic study concluded a roundabout could be the best option to address the safety concerns at the intersection, where many school students cross the busy highway.

The timeline for the project remains to be determined based on community input and more fully formed plans for the future of the intersection. A design team from Robert Peccia & Associates hopes to present findings and recommendations this summer and move forward with the project afterward if funding is secured.

“We’ve got to come together if we’re going to fix the intersection at Batavia Lane and Highway 2,” MDT Missoula District Administrator Bob Vosen said in the press release. “We’ve heard a lot of conflicting opinions within the community about the best way to address this intersection, but for the most part, we all agree on one thing – it’s is not safe, and something needs to be done.”

To ask questions, sign up for updates, or provide input for the Batavia Intersection Improvements project, contact Courtenay Sprunger at courtenay@bigskypublicrelations.com or 406-261-7665. Information is also available on the project web page, https://www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/batavia