The Bozeman area has stunning recreational areas in all directions; however, access to many of these areas is problematic and demand is steadily increasing. The dominant mode of transportation to these areas consists of private automobiles, roadways and parking areas. Recreationalists are increasingly impacted by the limits of this transportation paradigm: roadways are increasingly congested; trailhead parking areas are increasingly overflowing; roadway crossings are increasingly unsafe; and heavy use of areas lead to increasing levels of conflict with users and adjacent landowners.
DJ&A led the 22-month Bozeman Area Alternative Transportation Study (BAATS), funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in the Parks Program, to ultimately develop seven conceptual designs for alternative transportation systems to increase the safety and convenience of accessing these surrounding recreational areas.
In addition to providing engineering, planning, and surveying support, DJ&A led an intensive community and stakeholder engagement process to develop board community support for the alternatives. The Consultant Team, led by DJ&A, was anchored by the guidance of a Technical Advisory Group (TAG), which included representatives from nine primary stakeholders at the local, city, county and state levels. The TAG was convened formally on five occasions over the course of the study to guide the Consultant Team and offered valuable feedback throughout the process. DJ&A conducted 36 stakeholder interviews and held three public meetings.
The seven conceptual designs were carefully vetted and will be an important improvement to the Bozeman area’s transportation network that will significantly improve access to the area’s surrounding recreation areas. One of these conceptual designs, “Bridger Canyon Road and Trailhead Improvements,” recently served as the basis of a $4.5M federal funding request through the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP). This project will provide the infrastructure needed to provide effective and safe access via multiple modes of transportation, including car, transit, shuttle, foot and bicycle, to three federal recreation sites located north of Bozeman.
Key Services
- Assessed traffic at popular recreation areas around Bozeman
- Conducted stakeholder interviews and public meetings
- Coordinated Technical Advisory Group
- Performed feasibility studies
- Completed funding applications
Value Added
“DJ&A provides an exceptional engineering and planning service for the price. I plan to utilize their services in the future for complex consulting needs… Impeccable work all the way around.”
