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The houses at the corner of Peach and Rouse were demolished this past week – the realignment has begun.
Most construction to widen Rouse Avenue in north Bozeman is still a summer or two away, but preparations are already changing the scenery along the road, says the Montana Department of Transportation.
This week, two aging houses along Rouse at its intersection with Peach Street were demolished, making room for what will eventually be a realigned intersection with a traffic signal. Earlier this spring, workers also cut down trees to prepare for construction along the corridor, said MDT’s Jeff Ebert.
More trees will likely need to come down this summer, Ebert said this week, though the department isn’t yet sure which ones they’ll be.
A contractor for the first stage of expansion work, north from Rouse’s intersection with Oak Street as it curves east to Story Mill Road, should be selected this summer, Ebert said.“More than likely, they won’t do much work this construction season,” he said. The agency expects the first phase to be completed in 2017.
A second phase of construction, along Rouse south of Oak to Main Street, is tentatively scheduled for 2019, he said.Both phases of the project will widen the two-lane street to include a center turn lane, bike lanes, sidewalks and on-street parking along most of the stretch, Ebert said — except sections along Bozeman Creek where there isn’t room.