The planning, coordination and funding for construction of the Billings Bypass has been a effort that spans nearly two decades. The MDT, working with an advisory committee consisting of the local governments, interest groups and the Policy Coordinating Committee - - made up of the Billings City Council, Yellowstone County Commission and Yellowstone County Board of Planning - agreed in 2014 to commit $25 million or more in locally allocated Urban Transportation funds and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality funds to complete the project. At the time the financial agreement was executed, the Record of Decision for the project did not include a separated pedestrian facility on any portion of the project, and, specifically, not on the Yellowstone River Bridge segment of the project. An 8-foot shoulder was what was proposed along the travel lanes to accommodate any foot traffic or bicyclists.

Since the Record of Decision was completed in 2014, individuals and groups in the Billings and Lockwood community have expressed serious concern that a separated pedestrian facility be included on the Yellowstone River Bridge Structure. The Bypass will connect the urban area of Lockwood with the urban area of the Billings Heights and a major regional-level park is also under development on the north side of the River where the new Bridge will pass through. The MDT had been looking into options for this facility for the past few years but no specific design had been presented or arrived at.

Since the original Record of Decision documents did not include a separated pedestrian and bicycle facility, and since the PCC approved the funding agreement for the project, the MDT and the PCC members want the PCC to approve of the use of locally allocated Urban Transportation funds and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality funds to provide the pedestrian facility across the future Yellowstone River Bridge. The City Council, as one of the PCC members, is being asked to approve of including a pedestrian facility on the bridge structure when it is built in a few years.
 

City Council may:

• Approve including a separated pedestrian facility on the new Yellowstone River Bridge as part of the Billings Bypass Project, or;
• Disapprove of including a separated pedestrian facility on the new Yellowstone River Bridge as part of the Billings Bypass Project.

Inclusion of the pedestrian facility will mean that additional locally allocated Urban Transportation funds and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality funds may be used to compete the project. Not including the separated pedestrian facility at the time the bridge is completed would mean a retrofitting of the bridge at some later date for pedestrian facilities at a greater cost than the current project.

The MDT, Billings City Council, Yellowstone County Commission, and Yellowstone County Board of Planning in their capacity as the Policy Coordinating Committee, entered into a financial agreement establishing the use of STPU and CMAQ funds on August 26, 2014.  The agreement was unanimously approved by the PCC and states there will be a “…Local commitment of $25,000,000 or more if needed until completion of the project, after funding for Bench Boulevard Phase II is complete.” The MDT consultant has estimated the cost of the separated pedestrian facility on the bridge portion of the Bypass project at about $3.8 million, not including inflation and possible connection elements at each end of the bridge.

If the City Council approves the inclusion of a separated pedestrian facility for the bridge portion of the project, additional funds in excess of the $25 million referenced in the agreement will be expended. 

If the separated pedestrian facility is not constructed at the time the bridge is completed, a retrofitting of the bridge at some later date for pedestrian facilities is likely to cost millions more than the estimated $3.8 million.  
 

Staff recommends that the City Council direct its PCC designee to support inclusion of a separated pedestrian facility on the Yellowstone River Bridge segment of the Billings Bypass project and take that recommendation to the PCC Meeting on July 18.