St. Regis highway receives beautification project

St. Regis residents and travelers through the area can’t miss the bright orange traffic cones and construction lining Montana 135 just north of the four-way stop through town. The project is part of the St. Regis Resort District Enhancement and Beautification Project, which began on June 5.

Voters authorized the extension of the St. Regis resort tax in 2012. Prior to this project starting, a number of public meetings were held to determine what projects the community wanted to support with the Resort District funds, according to St. Regis Resort District member Jessica Connolly.

“The No. 1 priority that was selected is the enhancement and beautification,” Connolly said. “The number of vehicles and trucks using Highway 135 have significantly increased and residents said they wanted to make Highway 135 more attractive with sidewalks, crosswalks, and lights, similar to what is on the Frontage Road.”

It would also help people traveling through the area understand that they are traveling through the core of town. During the discussions, it was also noted that two bike/vehicle deaths had occurred on Montana 135, and St. Regis citizens encouraged the Resort District to also take that into consideration.

To get the project started, the Resort District contracted with the Montana State University Community Design Center in Bozeman to develop a visioning document. The students in the School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, as part of senior project requirements, developed a comprehensive document that became the foundation for the project. Many hours of student and professor time was secured for a $3,000 fee. The students first reached out to the citizens of St. Regis and then incorporated their ideas into a professional document.

After that, the Resort District contracted with Territorial Landworks of Missoula to help apply for a Community Transportation Enhancement Program Grant (CTEP) and a Transportation Alternative Program grant (TAP). The Resort District was awarded an $85,000 CTEP grant and a $465,000 TAP grant. In addition, the Resort District received an $8,000 grant from the DNRC for trees.

Next, sidewalks will be added to the North side of the road and an asphalt path to the south side. The sidewalk goes from St. Regis Street to Main Street and the asphalt path extends from Exxon to the cemetery. The entire process will take about two and a half months. Future projects will include the adding of decorative lights, grass and trees.