Lolo Street Bridge Project

Obviously, the bridge is dangerous in its current state. What I would like to see is that all ideas be put on the table and a fair decision be arrived at and implemented. Period. I don't want to see one interest group come in after the bridge has been rehabilitated and using their political muscle, get things modified to suit their preferences, as occurred with the Beartracks bridge modification.

Personally, I feel bikers can cross Rattlesnake Creek on the hiker/biker bridge at the north end of Greenough Park. Given the limited space on the bridge, I think cars and walkers should have first consideration. Put a wide sidewalk that bikers can also use if they so choose, but I'm not in favor of a special bike lane. Do what the city has done on Brooks: just stencil a bike in white paint on the pavement and call it good as a bike lane.

If the bridge is structurally unsound (and 57 years old), does it make sense to rehab it, rather than replace it? If rehabed, will it last another 50 years?
The approach to the bridge on the east side, heading west, with the curb sticking out (and this is a recently installed curb and sidewalk) is a terrible design, so fix this as part of the bridge replacement.
I agree with all the other comments: make it as wide as possible to make it as safe as possible for cars, bikes and pedestrians.
And be sure the creek can handle wildlife, like beavers and fish making their way up and downstream; for example, the Broadway bridge over Rattlesnake Creek is deficient in this.

I cross this bridge and the cross walk at Wylie and Lolo daily. I think it would be a good idea to include wide walking areas and a painted bike lane area in the road. My hope would be that allows children to ride on the sidewalk in safety while encouraging adults to ride on the road to avoid walker/biker conflict on the sidewalk.
I also think there need to be big warning signs about the upcoming curve as well as a slower speed limit. It catches people by surprise and there are so many near misses between cars and between cars and pedestrians or bikers.

I am in favor of adding width to the bridge. Currently, it is dangerous to runners, bikers, and walkers. Cars need to slow considerably to traverse safely at current width and drivers don't always do so.
I am in favor of walking and bike lanes, or if this is not possible, a generous walking lane. I am also in favor of reducing the speed in this area to facilitiate safety. 15 mph over the bridge regardless of increases to lane width. The bridge leads into a curve which contains a crosswalk to the east. To the west, it leads into a narrow shoulder adjacent to a stone wall.

Thank you for making the replacement of the Lolo Street bridge a priority. The rebar poking out on the northside is a great concern, as is the angled approach from the east.
I agree with other commentators: make the bridge high enough to accommodate wildlife, add wide sidewalks on both sides to allow for pedestrians, and add bike lanes. I am ok with the car lanes being on the narrow side as long as they are well marked and the bike lanes are protected. How about adding signage that drivers should slow and proceed with caution and/or add watch for children/deer/wildlife. A sign on the east side is especially necessary with traffic coming in from Missoula Street and eastbound drivers bombing down the road. A crosswalk at Woodland Ave would be appropriate as well as one at either Wylie or Raymond.

Any design should include traffic calming to reduce speeds. Many cars going over the existing bridge are speeding. Sight distances are also low for eastbound traffic coming downhill around the curve. Like others, I am concerned that a wider bridge will increase speeds. Width should be sufficient, but not excessive. Six foot sidewalks seems like more than enough, especially if there is a bike lane. Protection for the bike lane, similar to what was installed at the speed tables on Missoula Ave., seems like a good idea here. Pedestrian safety at the Missoula Ave. crossing needs to be a priority with all of the foot and bike traffic there. The current pedestrian crossing is pretty scary with eastbound (and westbound) cars speeding down the hill. Westbound bikes making the left turn from Lolo to Missoula Ave. face a similar situation. Protecting exposed users should be a top priority of any design.

The proposed widening plan along with the sidewalks on both sides is superb! It will be crucial to keep the bridge accessible and open during Reconstruction, so please see to it that that is accomplished. Thank you for the proposal. Ken Lousen

I agree with many of the comments that a bike lane would be a boon to the neighborhood. I also agree that it would be terrific if the bridge extended the pedestrian/bike access from Missoula Ave.

I concur with commenters suggesting wider bike lanes and accommodation for wildlife passing under the bridge.

First of all, why do the pedestrian and bike lanes need to be so wide--with vehicles becoming bigger and bigger, I would like to see some concentration on room enough for two vehicles to pass each other on the bridge. Yes, there are pedestrians, too, but do they really need a 6' sidewalk? I would hate to see the huge, imposing structure you are proposing ruining the very rural area where the bridge sits. We don't need another Reserve Street out here, just a reasonable, passable bridge that we can safely traverse would work for us. Been here in this house for 49 years and have seen lots of changes as far as pedestrian and bike lanes that really seem overkill and not that necessary.

Living on Lolo St. near this bridge for over 5 years, I believe the largest issue is speeding cars. A major concern is that widening the bridge will only increase or exasperate this issue for this stretch. I primarily walk and ride a bicycle over the bridge, but even when driving it does not feel too narrow if driving when slowing down to 20mph or under for that stretch. Many people use this route to access other safer walking and bicycling routes including the Tom Green and Missoula Ave. An emphasis on making it safer for all modes would be great. I wish that the City/County would strongly consider turning the bridge to only through traffic to pedestrians and people riding bikes. This would be a simple solution and conversion.

In this bridge rehab project Lolo St as a whole needs to be looked at. Some form of traffic calming or lowering speeds is needed. One idea is stop signs on both sides of the bridge at other intersections may help with the cars speeding issue and would prevent Lolo from turning into a speedway/raceway that it is for certain drivers.

As someone who often walks with dogs it would be nice to have more room on one or both sides of the bridge on the sidewalk. I do think that separation of bike/ped. traffic is key too, if possible. For people riding downhill heading East/northEast it is much easier to ride with the flow of vehicle traffic whereas the uphill grade of heading West becomes more challenging to remain at a vehicle speed.

I think in this project there should be an emphasis on the fact that the bridge is over Rattlesnake Creek and is a huge wildlife corridor. For these reasons as much of a natural feel and design that fits these characteristics should be prioritized. Thank you!

I live next to the bridge.

The current configuration of the bridge, awkward as it is, is the only thing keeping the traffic speed down to close to a reasonable level. If the bridge is widened, there should be some form of traffic calming measure included.

Also, the existing deteriorated sidewalk on the north side of the bridge terminates on the west side of the bridge. While connecting to the sidewalk on the northeast side of the bridge should not be a problem, extending a sidewalk westward from the north side of the bridge would require either significant realignment of the roadway or destruction of existing stone walls and other features along the north side of Lolo St.

In addition, a large gravel/cobble bar has developed under and just upstream of the existing bridge on the west side of the creek. Removing that bar will improve creek flow in high water situations and relieve current erosional forces on the east side of the creek.

I walk this route frequently and sometimes ride my bike. Better sidewalks would be nice but the biggest need I see are for bike lanes. I worry about making the travel lanes wider as the traffic will then go faster. Do what it takes to make walking and riding a bike safer. Cars can go slower (in my opinion).

Redesign this bridge to support better everyday bike and pedestrian access with a normal sidewalk along its south side and a wide promenade along the north side with canopies, fish-friendly walkway lamps, large planters and benches for people to enjoy the creek. Everyday motor vehicle access should be eliminated and the structure enhanced to support emergency vehicle access down the center over spring-loaded tilt-over bollards / candlesticks. This emergency vehicle center lane can also serve as a managed slow speed one-way passage for cars, only during emergency evacuations. FEMA money may be sought for the aforementioned emergency evacuation vehicle passageway and its underlying structural improvements.

I live very close to the bridge and cross it frequently on bike or by foot, or in my car. There are poor sight lines, particularly from the west, and cars frequently approach at high speed only to find a bike in the lane. I strongly urge the addition of bike lanes to the plan. Although a sidewalk at the north side might be useful far in the future, currently it would be an orphaned sidewalk. It would be better to use that width to help add bike lanes. Particularly on the south side, a bike lane would connect to the recent improvements of a sidewalk on south Lolo and the bike/ped lanes on Missoula Ave. I see lots of children riding bikes on the sidewalk on South Lolo, and it would be very helpful to have a safe continuation to Missoula Ave.

This bridge is definitely one of the scariest around as both a driver and a pedestrian. It's way too narrow for 2 cars, especially in winter with snow/ice buildup. It's clearly disintegrating, too. As a pedestrian on bike it requires a mad sprint in the middle of the lane to feel 'safe', and as a walking pedestrian it is unnerving to be that close to cars. So I advocate for a wider bridge with a bike lane. For hooved wildlife to move safely and comfortably under the bridge, please ensure there is space that isn't large cobble/riprap, making a wildlife pathway.

This doesn't make sense: "The focus of this project will be to determine the maximum width the bridge can be given the capacity of the bridge foundation..."
Why don't you determine the max width FIRST, say what it is, and then ask us how we want to use that? eg: Will it even support the width required for the City's proposal?

Thank you for working on this rehabilitation project. Please prioritize safe pedestrian and bike lanes. I understand that space is limited. Could a wider pedestrian bike lane be built on the south side with a narrower one on the north side to accommodate limited space? Please also consider how the Lolo Bridge rehabilitation can tie into the bike and pedestrian lane on Missoula Ave. The recent improvements on Missoula Avenue make every day better for our family and the street is getting a lot of use by pedestrians and bicyclists. The good times end at Lolo and I'd love to see the safe bike and pedestrian travel on Missoula Avenue connect to Lolo Bridge improvements.

I live close to the bridge and am happy to hear it is being replaced with sidewalks on both sides. I think that the addition of bike lanes should be seriously considered. Many people, including children, ride bikes in the neighborhood for commuting and recreation. Bike lanes would help ensure our safety and perhaps encourage more people to choose cycling as a form of transportation.