Fowler Avenue Connection

Construction Phase 1 of the Fowler Avenue Connection project is coming up, and we want to make sure the community has an opportunity to learn more and get their questions answered!

We invite you to join us on Monday, November 2, to learn about the upcoming construction schedule, review project information, and connect directly with the project team.

Informational Open House Details

Monday, November 2, 2026

5:30–6:30 p.m.

Fire Station #3 Community Room

1705 Vaquero Parkway, Bozeman, MT

We’ll kick things off promptly at 5:30 p.m. with a brief, 10-minute presentation about Construction Phase 1. Afterward, you’ll have time to look through project information and chat one-on-one with project team members. Whether you have a specific question or simply want to learn more about what’s ahead, we’d love to hear from you!

If you can’t make it right at 5:30 p.m., feel free to stop by anytime before 6:30 p.m. to connect with the team.

Have a Question? Send It Our Way!

You don’t have to wait until the informational open house to get involved! We encourage you to share your questions ahead of time through the Construction Phase 1 Q&A forum on the project website. This gives our team a chance to prepare responses and helps us focus on the topics that matter most to the community.

Can’t attend in person? You can still explore project information and submit questions through the online forum.

The City of Bozeman has awarded the contract for Phase 1 of the Fowler Avenue Connection. CK May Excavating, Inc. received the award at a contract price of $4,018,965, coming in below the engineer's estimate of probable cost at $5,555,879.50. Contracting will progress through September with the first construction activity anticipated to begin this fall.

We plan to host a Phase 1 construction public meeting to share accurate, up-to-date information with the community once a work schedule has been proposed. Stay tuned for more information!

The City of Bozeman will bid Phase 1 of the Fowler Avenue Connection from Oak to Durston on August 1, 2026. Bidding and contracting are anticipated to progress through mid-September with the first construction activity to begin late that month. We plan to host a Phase 1 construction public meeting once a contractor is selected and work schedule proposed in order to provide accurate, up-to-date information to the community. At this time, we anticipate a winter shutdown with final paving and landscaping activities on Phase 1 to finish next spring. All portions of Phase 1, including side street connections, will remain closed to traffic until the roundabout at Fowler and Durston is complete and open to traffic.

Please note that construction of the roundabout at Fowler and Durston has been moved to Phase 2 from Durston to Babcock planned for construction in summer 2027. This construction sequence will allow the new connection of Fowler and Babcock to serve as a secondary access point to the Fowler Place Subdivision while the Durston roundabout is under construction. Additional public engagement on Phase 2 is planned for this winter.

Final Plans for Phase 1 – Oak to Durston have been uploaded in the documents section.

The city of Bozeman has advanced Final Design plans for Fowler Ave from Oak to Durston by incorporating comments received during our most recent rounds of public engagement last summer. We’ll be back with the community for a final plans presentation and pre-construction meeting on this segment, but first we’re finalizing the last steps of right of way acquisition before determining an accurate construction schedule. This next round of community engagement will focus on construction impacts and traffic management during construction, so we want to have the most up to date schedule information possible to share with you all before setting time to meet.

Final design public meetings on the segment of Fowler from Durston to Babcock will follow later this year. No construction activities on this segment are anticipated until 2027.

Thanks for your patience!

The City of Bozeman has completed the 60% design phase for the Fowler Avenue Connection project and will present the updated design to the City Commission on:

August 12, 2025 at 6 p.m.

City Hall - Commission Room
121 N Rouse Ave
Bozeman, Montana 59715

The public is invited to attend this session. Detailed information regarding the agenda can be found on the City Commission website: https://www.bozeman.net/departments/city-commission and is typically made available 72 hours prior to the scheduled City Commission meeting.

This project will extend Fowler Avenue from Oak to Huffine as a 2-lane minor arterial, featuring shared-use paths in both directions, a roundabout at Annie and Durston, and a traffic signal at Babcock.

Key changes from the 30% design phase (spring 2024) include the removal of the landscaped median and a 36-foot reduction in the proposed typical section by narrowing the boulevards from Oak to Durston. Additional revisions include fewer local street connections, the complete connection of shared-use paths, and the introduction of traffic calming measures.

The project will be completed in three phases: Oak to Durston (final design in 2025, construction in 2026), Durston to Babcock (final design in 2026, construction in 2027), and Babcock to Huffine (final design in 2027, construction in 2028). During the presentation, staff will provide updates on the design, cost estimates, and recent public engagement results.

Additionally, a Fowler Housing Work Session will be held as part of the same City Commission meeting.

Thank You for Joining the Fowler Avenue Connection Walking Tour!

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Wednesday, July 9 for the Fowler Avenue Connection Walking Tour! We appreciate your time, interest, and thoughtful input as we explore ways to shape this important north-south connection in Bozeman.

Our conversations are a valuable part of the design process, and it was great to walk the corridor together, answer questions, and hear your perspectives firsthand.

Stay tuned for more updates as the project continues to move forward. As a reminder, a Q&A forum has been created on the project website and we encourage you to continue to ask questions.

Together, we’re building a safer, more connected Bozeman.

Please join us for the Fowler Avenue Connection Community Event!

To help share the latest project updates, the City of Bozeman and Sanbell are hosting a community event on July 9, 2025, which includes an open Q&A session and walking tour of the corridor.

When: July 9, 2025, from 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Where: South leg of Roundabout at Oak Street and Davis Lane

What: The project team will start the event by presenting the designs on display boards, discussing key elements, and answering any questions the community may have. The walking tour starts promptly at 6:30 p.m. We will walk for about 90 minutes to review the 60% design plans, including the proposed 2-lane configuration, intersection designs, multimodal facilities, and landscaping.

What to Bring:

• Good walking shoes
• Weather-appropriate clothing

Safety guidelines will be provided.

Please note, this is an outdoor event; attendees are encouraged to dress accordingly. In the event of inclement weather - such as heavy rain or extreme temperatures - a new venue will be announced on the project website at least 24 hours in advance and shared with those subscribed to the project email list.

The 60% design plans will be posted soon under the Documents section (right-hand side of the page). If you need help locating them, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Ask Questions, Stay Involved

Can’t attend the in-person event or simply have questions about the project? We’ve set up an online Q&A forum where you can post your questions and see responses from the project team. Visit the Q&A Session tab below to participate.

Be sure to register on this site to receive email updates, stay informed about the final design phase, and learn about future opportunities to share your input.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Fowler Housing Project Open Houses at the beginning of June! Updates for this project will now be hosted on the main City of Bozeman website at Fowler Housing Project. Check out the page for more information and to review the display boards from the open houses.

Join us to learn about the proposed annexation and for-sale affordable housing project planned between W. Oak Street and Farmall Street.

Our project team members will be available to provide updates, answer your questions, and hear your feedback! There will be no formal presentation - drop in anytime during either session at your convenience. Both session will feature the same information.

Session One

June 4 from 12:00 to 1:30pm

Fire Station No. 3 (1705 Vaquero Pkwy)

Session Two

June 4 from 6:00 to 7:00pm

Emily Dickinson School Gym (2435 Annie St.)

If you're interested in the Fowler Avenue Connection, you might be aware that the possibility exists for using some city-owned lands next to the street for affordable housing. While this housing effort is separate from the street project, you may be interested in learning more about an item on tonight's City Commission agenda. Under Consent, item F6 is a task order that would allow our consultant, Sanbell, to provide planning services for the annexation and zoning of City-owned property along Fowler Avenue. That means that our consultant in the coming months will be helping to establish how the property gets zoned and annexed, and we want our community to get involved in this effort early on and be a part of that process.

This property was purchased by the City over 10 years ago and is currently a part of Gallatin County. If the item passes and the work is performed, we will eventually have the rare opportunity to solicit proposals from developers on how they would create affordable housing on this property. Annexation and zoning by the city instead of selling the land directly to developers allows the public to lead on important zoning proposals that would typically be the responsibility of the developer. The possibilities are open at this point, and we want to create housing that our community feels excited about. That's why it's important to be aware now - establishing zoning will provide a framework for what types of housing proposals eventually get submitted.

If you're interested, stay tuned for more information shared through this platform on how to get involved in future engagement on this topic. We look forward to collaborating with you in the new year!