BOZEMAN — It has been a busy summer for construction projects across Bozeman, and one of the latest focuses is the connection of North 27th Avenue from Cattail Street to Baxter Lane.
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The project has brought road closures and detours to the area, raising concerns for nearby businesses, including Outlaw Brewing.
“I don’t think it detoured our regulars at all. I was a little afraid it was going to detour tourists,” said owner Todd Hough.
Hough owns Outlaw Brewing, located on the corner of Cattail Street and 27th Avenue, it's second location.
“My wife and I started Outlaw in Belgrade in 2011. We moved here in 2014,” Hough said.
The brewery was built from the ground up at its current location. “Built to be a brewery. It was purpose-built, and it’s served us really well,” Hough said.
Now, 12 years later, the brewery is dealing with construction directly outside its front door.
Hough said the closure at the corner of 27th Avenue and Cattail Street has had some impact on business, however less than expected.
“It really hasn’t affected us much. I was fearful of a 12% downturn in our tasting room, and it’s really been more like 5%,” Hough said.
To help customers navigate the area, Hough said the brewery took extra steps to communicate detour routes.
“We did some Instagram videos just showing people to follow the detours. They have a lot of views, so I guess that probably helps as well,” Hough said.
To learn more about the 27th Avenue connection project, city officials shared details about the long-awaited development.
“This is the last piece of North 27th that will need to connect to go all the way from Durston up to East Valley Center,” said Nick Ross, Bozeman’s Director of Transportation and Engineering.
Ross said the connection has been in the works for 20 years and is now finally becoming a reality.
“We’ll continue a single traffic lane in both directions, similar to the section of North 27th just south of there, split along the power lines,” Ross said.
Ross said the $5.7 million project will include left-turn lanes and wide bike lanes. Drivers will also see a new traffic light at the intersection of Baxter Lane and North 27th Avenue, along with a new roundabout at Cattail Street and 27th Avenue.
“We prefer roundabouts for the benefit of safety in intersections of that type,” Ross said.
Construction on the project began in May. The intersection at Cattail Street and 27th Avenue closed in mid-July and is expected to reopen Aug. 15. Officials expect the entire project to be paved and ready for drivers by early September.
For Hough, the finished project brings both some concern and optimism.
“A little fearful of making a left turn out of the brewery parking lot going forward. But in general, it’ll give us a lot more traffic, which means a lot more visibility. And I think in the long run it will be good for us,” Hough said.
