Downtown Hot Springs is poised to get more pedestrian friendly next year with the planned construction of nearly 4,000 feet of new sidewalk.  

The Montana Department of Transportation is hosting an open house on the project from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the Hot Springs Fire Department at 109 1/2 Main Street. Those attending can expect to learn more about the undertaking and offer their thoughts on design plans, which will be finalized later this year.  

The project calls for installing 3,800 feet of new sidewalk along six roads: Orchard Street, Third Avenue North, Second Avenue North, Spring Street, Wall Street and Main Street. The effort includes replacing 640 feet of existing sidewalk. 

Hotels and RV parks populate these roads, and pedestrians hoping to take a stroll downtown currently end up walking in the street, said Hot Springs Mayor Randy Woods. His intent was to create a walkable downtown area for visitors and residents when he applied for dollars to cover the undertaking a couple years ago. 

“We have to make our town a better place for people,” Woods said. 

The estimated $1.3 million construction project is funded through the federal Surface Transportation Block Program, Woods said. It comes at no cost to Hot Springs taxpayers, he said.  

Nearly $15 billion was budgeted for the Surface Transportation Block Program this year through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. Funding is administered through state transportation departments.  

Montana Department of Transportation officials are focused on bringing Hot Springs’ downtown area in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act, as the rural town in Sanders County is seeing an increase in pedestrian traffic. The project also calls for making safety improvements at crosswalks.  

The state department is collaborating with Morrison-Maierle, a Kalispell-based engineering consulting firm, on the project.*

“Safety is MDT’s top priority,” said the department’s Missoula District Administrator, John Schmidt, in a statement. “This sidewalk project will help provide safe, efficient infrastructure for the Hot Springs community well into the future.” 

*This story has been corrected

Report for America Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 406-758-4439 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.