The Gallatin Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Advisory Committee reviewed a draft Long-Range Transportation Plan at its October 28 meeting, marking the first formal look at a document that will guide regional transportation investment through 2050.
The plan identifies six core goals: safe travel, a well-maintained transportation system, mobility choices, preserving regional character, enhanced transportation-land use coordination, and system resilience. Near-term projects totaling $170.9 million include major undertakings such as the Kagy Boulevard reconstruction in Bozeman, Main Street improvements in Belgrade, and numerous walking and bicycling projects funded through transportation alternatives grants.
During the presentation, staff highlighted several policy priorities, including Vision Zero initiatives to eliminate fatal and serious injury crashes, complete streets standards, all-ages and abilities bikeways, and transit priority corridors. A key theme that emerged from public input was connectivity—both between communities within the metropolitan planning area and to external destinations like Big Sky, Livingston, and Three Forks. Public commenters emphasized the importance of interregional transit connections to reduce commuter traffic on highways, particularly along congested corridors.
Board Feedback and Concerns
Board members offered substantive feedback on the plan's policy framework. One concern centered on actionability: board members noted that while the plan's policies are well-intentioned, many lack specificity in implementation, measurable targets, timelines, and clear assignment of responsibility. A board member serving as proxy suggested reviewing approaches used by larger metropolitan planning organizations around the country to make policies more directive and useful to member agencies.
Commissioner Emma Bode noted a visualization concern, recommending the color scheme on fatal crash maps be revised from green-to-red to avoid confusion for colorblind viewers, and use tan-to-orange-to-red instead. She also raised questions about performance targets in the accompanying Transportation Improvement Program, noting that transit asset management and emissions reduction targets showed no improvement between year-two and year-four projections.
Federal Highway Administration staff and GVMPO management explained that emissions targets are set conservatively to reflect realistic funding constraints and state regulatory requirements. Montana's Missoula MPO is the only area in the state required to show quantitative emissions benefits, giving the state flexibility to set statewide minimums elsewhere. Staff indicated a dedicated discussion on refining performance measures is scheduled for August 2027.
Public Input and Regional Connections
Public commenters raised the importance of defining "regional" connections. The executive director of Big Sky Transportation District and a representative from the Western Transportation Institute noted that coordinating among multiple transit districts within the county and connecting to external communities is critical as the region grows. Staff clarified that "regional" within this plan refers to connections within the metropolitan planning area (Belgrade to Bozeman), while connections to Big Sky, Livingston, and Three Forks are labeled "interregional."
Next Steps and Scheduling
The plan will advance to the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee for review, then open for a 30-day public comment period from November 9 to December 8 before returning to the committee for a final adoption vote on December 16, 2026. Staff noted the December meeting date falls outside the regular schedule to accommodate year-end holidays and is critical for meeting federal adoption deadlines. The committee also reviewed the fiscal years 2027–2031 Transportation Improvement Program in detail, which programs specific projects receiving federal and state funding but took no formal action on either document at this meeting.
In staff updates, Scott Macfarlane reported progress on the Valley Trail Loop study connecting Bozeman, Belgrade, and Four Corners; completion of motor vehicle counts at 70 locations and ongoing testing of bicycle and pedestrian count methodologies; involvement in the I-90 corridor study being conducted by the Montana Department of Transportation; and support for a wildlife crossing pilot program near Gallatin Gateway on U.S. Highway 191. The chair also flagged a website maintenance issue where the GVMPO website was not linking to current meeting information, and directed staff to address it.