BOZEMAN — You might notice when you take the roundabout on Oak Street, one of the exits is... well, a dead end. That all could change soon, with the potential expansion of Fowler Avenue.
“Hopefully, it alleviates some of the cross traffic on 19th and some of the other streets, cause a lot of Huffine is kind of a major thoroughfare these days,” said Heather Karo.
I drove through the communities surrounding Fowler Avenue to hear from people who live close by to the Fowler Avenue Connection Project. Launched by the City of Bozeman in 2021, it will connect Fowler Avenue from Oak Street to Huffine Lane.
WATCH: Fowler Avenue Expansion: Will It Alleviate Bozeman's Traffic Woes?
“I would say I’m like on the fence. I don’t know,” said Jayden Bird, a nearby resident, who lives where the plan calls for a new section of Fowler Avenue to be built.
“The green space is taken advantage of every single day, all hours, and it would definitely, like, suck for it to be taken away, you know,” he added.
Currently, Fowler Avenue runs from Huffine Lane to Babcock Street, where it is cut off between Babcock Street and Christopher Way.
A short section of Fowler Avenue then makes its way up to Durston Road, where it is cut off again, and just green space remains up until Oak Street.
For Nina Harrison, a nearby resident, this project would be a positive addition.
“I think it does make sense to pull high traffic off of these residential streets, and we’ve got kids all the time playing out in the front, so that makes sense,” she said.
While Nina says she’s ok with the road being built, she has concerns about “other city projects in that area and creating too much density that could really negatively impact this neighborhood.”
The City of Bozeman is proposing to develop 10 acres near the new Fowler Avenue by Oak Street into higher-density, affordable housing.
“Once we build there, we can’t get that green space back, so that’s really important to us,” said Harrison.
These changes are still in the design phase. A walk being held Wednesday night serves as a Q&A and tour of the proposed construction areas.
The final design is expected by the spring of 2026.
