Missoula, MT — As the city of Missoula continues to modernize its aging infrastructure, including water mains and key transportation systems, it is grappling with uncertainty regarding several crucial federal grants. The city’s leadership is actively seeking clarity on whether funding approved under previous federal administrations will be delivered, particularly as the Trump administration’s cuts continue to affect the flow of funds.
Mayor Andrea Davis has been working with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and Missoula County officials to navigate the complex situation. “We’re working to provide clarity on whether those grants are going to come through,” said Mayor Davis. “It’s unclear whether individual projects will have their priority or not.” The uncertainty has left local leaders and officials unsure about the fate of multiple projects that had been awarded substantial federal support.
Among the most significant of these grants is a $24 million award for the Safety, Access, and Mobility (SAM) project, which is intended to reconfigure Missoula’s downtown transportation grid. The city applied for the grant in February 2023, but the funding’s status is currently up in the air. This project is part of a broader effort to improve urban infrastructure in Missoula, a process that had been years in the making.
In addition to the SAM project, Missoula County was also awarded $24 million in March 2024 to redevelop the Highway 200 corridor through East Missoula. This project, which has similarly been under development for years, is now facing funding uncertainty as well.
Perhaps one of the most significant grants in jeopardy is the $59 million awarded for the Russell Street widening project, a long-standing initiative aimed at improving a critical transportation corridor. Though this project has been in the works for nearly a decade, the city now finds itself questioning whether the federal funding will materialize as promised.
The fate of another key project, the transformation of the Brooks Street corridor into a bus rapid-transit line, is also hanging in the balance. While the Missoula Redevelopment Agency remains optimistic about the project’s future, the agency has acknowledged that planning and funding are still subject to change. “We hope that there will be no impact on our funding if the planning is complete by March 31, but there are no guarantees in a landscape that seems to be changing daily,” stated MRA Director Ellen Buchanan in her monthly report.
Despite the uncertainty, Missoula County officials have expressed their intention to move forward as planned, assuming that the funding will ultimately be delivered. “We are proceeding as normal,” said a county grant official. “We’re hopeful that the funding will be there, but we’re preparing for the possibility that it might not be.”
In the face of this uncertainty, the Montana Department of Transportation is working with other states in the region to advocate for the federal funding that Montana is due to receive. According to Mayor Davis, the state has over $400 million in federal infrastructure awards pending, and local officials are continuing to push for the funds needed to support safety initiatives and economic development.
“We continue to articulate our needs for how these infrastructure grants increase safety and support economic development,” Mayor Davis added.
As Missoula’s infrastructure projects move forward amid this uncertainty, city and county leaders remain focused on ensuring that the necessary funding is secured to complete these vital improvements. With the potential for federal funding to shift dramatically, the next few months could prove critical in determining the future of Missoula’s transportation and infrastructure initiatives.
