Tester Secures more than $9 Million to Improve Road Safety, Accessibility in Missoula

South Avenue, Clements Road to receive Safe Streets for All Grants to widen shared-use paths, create bike lanes, establish bus stops

As a direct result of his bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), U.S. Senator Jon Tester today secured a $9,311,254.08 Safe Streets For All grant for the city of Missoula to enhance safety, improve accessibility, and provide equitable transportation along South Avenue and Clements Road.

Tester negotiated the IIJA and helped pass it into law last year, and he was the only member of Montana’s Congressional delegation to support it.

“Safe and accessible infrastructure is foundational to every Montana community, and I’m proud to secure this funding so that folks in Missoula can get to school and work without worrying,” said Tester. “Through my bipartisan infrastructure law we’re doing things like improving existing infrastructure to make our communities work smarter and safer. These investments will make life better for all Missoulians, and I know they’ll put these resources to good use keeping people safe.”

Funding will be delivered to the city of Missoula through the Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets for All program, which was created as a part of Senator Tester’s IIJA. Funding will be used by Missoula to enhance safety, improve accessibility, and provide equitable transportation along a 2-mile segment along South Ave. and a quarter mile segment along Clements Road. Specifically, the project will build separated bicycle lanes and sidewalks; extend and widen the existing shared-use path to better serve the schools, regional park, and other facilities; and improve safety and increase accessibility for transit riders by establishing well-designed, ADA-compliant bus stops that are connected to the sidewalk network.

Tester worked across the aisle for months to negotiate the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with a group of five Republicans, four Democrats, and the White House. Tester’s law is projected to create more than 800,000 American jobs and lower costs for businesses by making targeted investments that will strengthen our nation without raising taxes on working families.

Tester secured significant wins for Montana in the legislation, including $2.82 billion for Montana’s roads, highways and bridges; $2.5 billion to complete all authorized Indian water rights settlements; $1 billion to complete all authorized rural water projects through the Bureau of Reclamation; $65 billion to deploy broadband to areas across the country that lack internet access and additionally make online connectivity affordable; and $3.37 billion to reduce wildfire risk nationwide, among others. Tester also worked to ensure that all iron, steel, and construction materials used for these projects must be made in America. A full list of Montana provisions in Tester’s bipartisan infrastructure law can be found HERE.