The Gallatin Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Technical Advisory Committee unanimously recommended adoption of the Long-Range Transportation Plan after nearly two years of development, along with a companion five-year Transportation Improvement Program detailing how federal funding will be deployed.
Staff presented the 20-year plan, which allocates $170.9 million across road and bridge projects, walking and bicycling infrastructure, transit operations and capital investments, and safe routes to school programming. Major projects carried forward include the decade-long Kagy Boulevard rebuild in Bozeman, Belgrade's Main Street project, and regional connections to Four Corners, the airport, and communities outside the metropolitan planning area.
Motion on Long-Range Transportation Plan
Committee members, particularly Bozeman City staff, pushed back on the Transportation Policy Coordinating Committee's request for stricter performance measures and accountability language late in the planning process. Rather than overhaul the plan's policy framework, the committee agreed to recommend directional guidance on performance metrics—including reducing fatal and severe injuries, increasing transportation and land use coordination and data sharing, and improving transit access—to be formalized in January. The motion to recommend adoption passed unanimously, subject to completion of a 30-day public review period, consideration of public comments, necessary revisions to address federal regulatory requirements, and incorporation of the committee's recommended modifications.
Transportation Improvement Program Approved
The committee also unanimously approved the Transportation Improvement Program for federal fiscal years 2027 through 2031, which implements the long-range plan's federal funding priorities. The program incorporates 24 projects and includes updates provided by the Montana Department of Transportation reflecting changes from the state's tentative construction plan process, including cost adjustments, the addition of two maintenance projects at Four Corners and Belgrade Southeast, and revised project timelines. The motion to recommend adoption passed unanimously, subject to completion of a public review period and revisions to address federal and regulatory requirements and additional MDT projects.
Additional Actions
The committee approved the October 14, 2026 meeting minutes unanimously. Chair Chad Mosel noted that the City of Belgrade had adopted its Transportation Master Plan, which informed projects now included in the MPO's long-range plan, and indicated the city may seek Gallatin County Commission adoption as well given that some recommendations extend beyond city limits.