Billings Approves Major Transportation Safety Plan, Corridor Study Updates

The Montana Department of Transportation released draft documents for the MT 3 Billings Corridor Study in January 2026, opening a public comment period through February 23 of that year. The study, part of a broader push to modernize the city's transportation network, focuses on the MT 3 corridor, a key route for daily commuters and freight traffic moving through Billings. Residents and stakeholders were invited to review the draft materials and provide feedback, marking a critical step in shaping how the roadway will be managed and improved over the coming years.

Long-Range Planning Framework

The Billings Urban Area 2023 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), adopted in July 2023, provides a 20-year-plus blueprint for a multi-modal system. The plan prioritizes a safer and more efficient network, aiming to integrate road, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian infrastructure. According to the document, the LRTP guides development of federally assisted highway and transit projects, ensuring that local priorities align with state and federal funding streams. Separately, the Policy Coordinating Committee approved Amendment #2 to the 2024-2028 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) on April 15, 2025, updating the five-year plan for federally assisted improvements. The TIP outlines specific projects and funding allocations for the area, giving local authorities a concrete schedule for maintenance and upgrades.

Safety and Corridor Vision

Billings is currently implementing the Billings Community Transportation Safety Plan (CTSP), a data-driven strategy aligned with Montana's Vision Zero goal to eliminate roadway fatalities and serious injuries. The plan uses crash data and local input to identify high-risk locations and recommend engineering, education, and enforcement measures. Meanwhile, the City of Billings is developing a new Transportation Corridor Plan to create a unified vision for main corridors. This initiative, branded as “One City, Many Ways,” aims to guide future development and support diverse transportation options. For residents, this means coordinated efforts across multiple city departments to address congestion, improve crosswalk safety, and ensure that new housing or commercial projects are supported by adequate road and transit access. The corridor plan is expected to provide specific recommendations for arterial streets like King Avenue, Grand Avenue, and 24th Street West, though no final draft has been released.

The combination of these ongoing efforts reflects a layered approach to transportation in Billings: the LRTP sets the long-term vision, the TIP funds projects year by year, the corridor plan shapes street-level design, and the safety plan targets specific crash trends. For the typical commuter, the practical effect is a gradual rollout of intersection improvements, new bike lanes, and better pedestrian crossings funded through the TIP and shaped by public feedback from the corridor study and safety plan. The public comment period on the MT 3 draft documents closed in February 2026, but residents can still monitor updates through city and state transportation resources. Next steps include finalizing the corridor study report and incorporating findings into future TIP amendments.