Montana Locales Get ADA Upgrades for Walkers, Bikers
Sidewalks and other active transportation infrastructure are getting upgrades in three Montana communities from the Montana Department of Transportation.
[Above photo by the Montana DOT]
In the towns of Bridger and Lewiston, crews are nearing completion of new sidewalk corner ramps that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA, along with new sidewalks and driveway approaches, said Lisa Olmsted, a Montana DOT public information consultant.
Pedestrians and bicyclists along King Avenue in Billings will see new corner ramps and new pavement markers for walkers.
In Lewistown – home of the annual Montana Cowboy Poetry Gathering – the design-build contracting team is installing 17 ADA corner ramps, 29 sign replacements, 26 reconstructed approaches, and more than 11,000 square feet of new sidewalk, Olmsted said – adding that all of that work in the town of 6,200 residents began in the fall of 2024 and is nearly complete.
[Editor’s note: In July, the Montana DOT highlighted a variety of community outreach initiatives it regularly engages in to promote safe bicycling practices statewide.]
Crews also will install cast-iron detectable warning plates into the sidewalk at one intersection. The plates, which have raised bumps, allow visually impaired pedestrians to know when they are approaching an intersection, Montana DOT noted.
About three hours south in the town of Bridger, crews are installing 27 new corner ramps, 16 driveway approaches and 1,200 square feet of new sidewalk, Olmsted said. Construction is expected to be completed this fall.
Pedestrians in Billings will be getting some extra protection from vehicles with the installation of rapid flashing beacons to warn motorists that pedestrians are in the area. Olmsted said the beacons and other improvements are being installed at the end of the I-90 westbound exit at King Avenue, a heavily travelled commercial corridor.
Crews also will install 19 corner ramps and one new driveway approach in Billings, Olmsted said. That work is expected to continue through the fall.
All upgrades in the three cities are in line with Montana DOT’s ADA Transition Plan, which was first published in 2001 and updated in 2021. The plan guides the department’s efforts to establish “a consistent approach for accommodating disabled individuals by identifying methods to assist Montana DOT in complying with ADA regulations and removing accessibility barriers.”
Final Environmental Report Issued for Maui Highway Project
The Hawaii Department of Transportation recently issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement or FEIS for the Honoapi‘ilani Highway improvements project.
[Above image by Hawaii DOT]
That $298 million project seeks to move a portion of Honoapi‘ilani Highway further away from the coastline and is intended to provide a reliable transportation facility in West Maui by reducing the highway’s vulnerability to coastal hazards, including sea level rise, higher than normal tides – known as “king tides” – that occur during new or full moons, and storms.
As a result of those issues, over the past 10 years, a long stretch of the Honoapi‘ilani Highway – from Pāpalaua Beach Park to Launiupoko – has been repaired multiple times after storm and high wave events damaged the roadway.
Hawaii DOT noted in a statement that it conducted two public hearings and solicited written comments to gather public feedback on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement or DEIS for the proposed project.
The subsequent FEIS addresses much of the public feedback gathered during the DEIS process, the agency said, including the addition of a shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists, a second signalized intersection at Ehehene Street in Ukumehame, potential passing lanes between Ehehene Street and Luawai Street, and some infrastructure changes.
Hawaii DOT added that the publication of the FEIS ensures compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act and signifies that the necessary environmental analysis to move forward has been completed; with work on this highway project expected to begin in 2028.
Environmental News Highlights – October 1, 2025
Michigan DOT Gets Funds for Wildlife Collision Study
The latest episode of the “Talking Michigan Transportation” podcast details how federal grant money will help the Michigan Department of Transportation fund a study of wildlife crossings to better protect motorists and animals statewide.
[Above image by the Michigan DOT]
On the podcast, Amanda Novak – a resource specialist at Michigan DOT who helped lead the effort to secure the federal grant funding – explains the potential safety benefits of that. For starters, the latest State Farm report on vehicle collisions with wildlife shows Michigan is ranked fourth among states for the highest number of such crashes.
Those crashes pose tremendous risk and costs to drivers, Michigan DOT noted. For example, white-tailed deer alone account for more than 55,000 collisions and a $130 million cost to drivers in the U.S. per year.
On the podcast, Novak talks about what she’s learned from other government agencies that have studied the problem and implemented mitigation efforts. For example, a podcast episode in 2024 featured a conversation with a connectivity specialist with the Yellowstone to Yukon or Y2Y Conservation Initiative about creative and successful solutions implemented on the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park.
“The whole background of this grant is to [help wildlife] meet all of their ecological needs, as well as providing safe passage for them so they don’t collide with motorists,” explained Novak on the podcast.
“I have learned a lot from the other [state] DOTs [so] we won’t be starting from scratch,” she added. “They have a lot of background
information on what’s worked and what hasn’t with other various mitigation measures used in fencing areas and things like that. So, there’s a lot of great information out there that we can use once we get these hot spots [for wildlife collisions] identified.” To listen to the full podcast, click here.
Local Microtransit Service Sees Early Success
A new microtransit program funded by the North Carolina Department of Transportation is experiencing strong ridership across its service area; signaling early success for an on-demand public transit service only five months old.
[Above photo by McDowell Express]
In 2024, NCDOT received a $10.4 million discretionary federal grant to help rural transit agencies expand public microtransit services. That one grant supports 11 mostly rural communities by funding software, operations, and capital investments for local microtransit services. NCDOT noted that “microtransit” is a form of public transportation that operates based on rider request rather than a fixed schedule, allowing for more flexible and efficient travel. The new service – named McDowell Express and operated by McDowell County Transit – has provided more than 1,900 rides since it began operations on May 1; experiencing steady month-over-month growth in ridership as it works to connect rural communities with jobs, healthcare, education, and more.
“McDowell’s microtransit success is part of our ongoing efforts to work with local communities to improve mobility,” said Brennon Fuqua, director of NCDOT’s Integrated Mobility Division, in a statement. “NCDOT is committed to ensuring that local public transit options meet the needs of residents, especially in rural areas.”
The McDowell Express on-demand transit service operates Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; primarily serving residents and visitors within a seven-mile radius around the town of Marion, NC, in McDowell County.
“[We are] extremely proud of the success of McDowell Express [as] ridership has far exceeded our expectations,” added Jason Hollifield, director of McDowell Transit. “We are happy to provide a new, much-needed transportation option to our citizens. We are appreciative of the support of our local government, NCDOT, and the federal grant that made it all possible.”
Environmental News Highlights – September 24, 2025
Michigan DOT Conducting Pedestrian Bridge Survey
The Michigan Department of Transportation wants the public to weigh in on which state-owned pedestrian bridges in the metropolitan Detroit area should be prioritized for rehabilitation, reconstruction, or consolidation.
[Above photo by the Michigan DOT]
The agency noted that most pedestrian bridges in and around Detroit were built in the 1950s and 1960s, in the glory days of the American auto industry and Motown. Now those bridges are near the end of their useful lives, and some of them already have been closed.
Michigan DOT noted it doesn’t have enough money to repair or replace all the bridges. As the closures and the costs to repair or rebuild those bridges piled up, the department decided to take a strategic approach by launching a Pedestrian Bridge Study.
An agency team is compiling technical bridge data and active transportation traffic counts to determine the condition and utilization of each bridge. Meanwhile, the department is soliciting public input to give planners a full picture of which bridges are the most important, noted James VanSteel, Metro Region transportation planner for Michigan DOT.
The focus of the study are 77 state-owned bridges in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties – including 55 structures within the city limits of Detroit. Of those 77 bridges, 21 are rated in “good” condition; 42 are “fair,” nine are “poor,” and five were closed because they failed inspection or had damage from truck strikes.
“Residents who use these bridges have made their importance to local communities clear and have voiced support for more transparency into MDOT’s plans for maintaining safe pedestrian and bike access,” VanSteel said. However, the agency “does not have dedicated funding available to address all the needs for these legacy pedestrian structures,” he added.
Those needs include reconstruction to bring the bridges up to Federal Highway Administration and American with Disabilities Act standards.
The department has held six open houses in the three counties to present the public with information about the bridges and to listen to residents’ comments. Michigan DOT wants residents to take a survey to share which bridges they use, how often they use them, and if they use the bridges to get to work, school, places of worship, healthcare facilities, or for recreation and exercise.
Michigan DOT has also created an advisory committee from communities that have at least one bridge in the study, and the department is meeting with people from local and county governments, businesses, advocacy groups, and schools. The agency wants to gather local input so it can “better understand the unique context and community priorities in particular locations,” VanSteel said.
The department will combine all the input with technical data, traffic counts, and analysis to create a “strategic investment plan,” VanSteel noted. “The information we gather will help the department make the best use of its limited funds to identify priority investments, explore opportunities for consolidation, and work proactively with communities to maintain connectivity,” he said.
The survey ends October 31. Michigan DOT expects to complete the study by summer 2026, when the team will make recommendations to the agency and offer “informational resources for the public to better understand the condition, usage, and local priorities for each bridge,” VanSteel explained.
While the study is limited to the Detroit area, VanSteel said it exemplifies how “Michigan DOT and its local partners understand that pedestrian bridges are key links in the connectivity of regional active transportation networks.”
Hawaii DOT Installing Traffic Noise Detection Cameras
The Hawaii Department of Transportation recently launched a noise detection pilot program that will install noise detection cameras on several key roadways across the island of Oahu.
[Above photo by Hawaii DOT]
The first of those cameras are being placed on the H-3 Freeway at the Halekou Interchange – where it joins with the Kamehameha Highway – along with a camera on Ala Moana Boulevard near Kalia Road. Eight more locations in the top 10 will be installed by January 2026, the agency said.
Hawaii DOT noted in a statement that the purpose of this noise detection pilot program is to gather data on the types and levels of noise generated by vehicles on Oahu roads and stressed that no tickets will be issued.
[Editor’s note: In 2024, a two-part series on “The Stream by AASHTO” podcast illustrated how state departments of transportation across the U.S. are working to minimize the impact of roadway noise in their respective regions.]
The agency noted that it selected the locations for noise camera installation based on complaints recorded by the Honolulu Police Department or HPD. An additional 12 roadway locations have been identified for potential data gathering pending engineering assessment. A map with additional details on the sites is available at https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/noise-detection-cameras/.
Once the sites begin gathering data, Hawaii DOT said it will prepare monthly reports on the number of events detected exceeding 90 decibels at the roadway locations involved in this pilot program, as well as the type of vehicle noise observed (e.g., engine, muffler, etc.). Those reports will be used to help with future legislation on vehicle noise and HPD enforcement.