Staff recommends that Billings City Council approve the contract with Alta Planning + Design, Inc,. in association with Sanderson Stewart, for the 2023 Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan Update. This action is consistent with the City Council's approval of the 2023 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) submitted by the Billings-Yellowstone County Metropolitan Planning Organization in summer 2022. The UPWP included funding for the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan Update. 

The Billings-Yellowstone County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has identified the need to update the 2017 Bikeways and Trails Master Plan. Plans like these are updated on approximately a 5-6 year cycle for currency with industry best practices and to align with community trends and changes. The plan has been renamed the Billings Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan in order to include a stronger focus on pedestrian facilities in the Billings urbanized area in addition to the focus on bikeways and trails. The goal of the plan is to evaluate system usage and construction progress since the 2017 plan; review, evaluate, and prioritize on-street bikeways, and key off-street trail and pedestrian connections; identify funding for the construction and maintenance of active transportation facilities; engage the public; provide recommendations for education and encourage the use of active transportation; and promote the system as a healthy, safe mode of transportation. New for this year, the plan will evaluate the comfort of the pedestrian environment through a Pedestrian Level of Traffic Stress Analysis which will complement the Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress Analysis. Also, with Planning Division staff now CPTED trained there will be coordination and evaluation of user and corridor safety integrated into the process. 

The MPO advertised a request for proposals in May and June of 2023. One proposal was received from Alta Planning + Design, Inc. in association with Sanderson Stewart. After negotiation on the scope of work, the budget for the plan was determined to be not more than $116,935, which is within the established budget provided by funding in the UPWP.  The plan is estimated to be completed by the summer of 2024. 

City Council may:

• Approve the contract; or,
• Not Approve the contract

Approving the contract is consistent with the previous vote by the Council in summer 2022 to forward a recommendation of approval for the UPWP to the Policy Coordinating Committee (PCC) and the PCCs approval of the Work Program in 2022. The UPWP allocated funding for this plan. 

100% of the funds for this plan come from federal Planning (PL) dollars, so no local funds will be expended on this plan.