Columbia Falls is moving forward with plans to metamorphose the Gateway to Glacier’s downtown and surrounding streets, opening the design up to community comment next week in an open house on Feb. 19.
The Gateway to Glacier Safety and Mobility Plan is poised to reconstruct 1.3 miles of the city’s roadways, add 1.7 miles of sidewalk and one mile of shared-used pathways. The plan will also upgrade multiple intersections, improve parking and expand Americans with Disabilities (ADA) access downtown. Improvements center around 4th Avenue North and South, 13th Street adjacent to Columbia Falls High School, and 7th Street adjacent to the city hall.
“We are looking forward to the significant positive impacts this project will bring to our city for years to come, including safety, roadway and sidewalk improvements, and an upgraded water main,” Columbia Falls Interim City Manager Mark Shrives said in a press release.
The city is partnering with two engineering firms, Texas-based Jacobs Solutions and Kalispell-based WGM Group, on the project. The federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program, recently renamed the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program, awarded the city $10 million in 2022 to fund the endeavor.
With the aim of completing its design phase this September, the city is hosting an open house on Wednesday, Feb. 19, to share the design concepts, project information and receive community feedback. The open house is set to run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. inside the Columbia Falls City Hall Council Chambers at 130 6th St. West.
The city’s anticipated timeline for the project is to begin construction this October, wrapping it up by March 31, 2027.