May 26, 2021
In coordination with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and the City of Dillon, the University of Montana Western campus area facing Atlantic Street will be under construction this summer to enhance the safety and access to the campus and to allow for the MDT to resurface the street next summer.
While enhancing the safety and access to the campus has been a long-time goal for Montana Western, in large part, the timing to initiate and complete this project this summer came from the MDT’s desire to resurface Atlantic Street next summer and their willingness to fund a portion of the overall project. The existing elevated sidewalk and retaining wall present significant safety concerns and the project will allow for the merging of a new road surface with updated access points and sidewalks along Atlantic Street that are ADA compliant and handicap accessible.
“With the MDT willing to fund a portion of the project, this is an exciting opportunity for the campus, and the city, to address some of the challenges that have faced us in the past when looking at renovating this border of our campus running along a high-traffic area,” said UMW Chancellor Michael Reid. “We would like to thank both the MDT and the City of Dillon for their collaborative efforts in making these improvements a reality.”
To be completed by mid-August this summer, the new UMW sidewalks and sloped lawn will be in place so that the MDT can then resurface Atlantic Street, which is planned to take place in the summer of 2022.
The first step in the process this spring is the removal of approximately 18 trees (primarily ash trees) along the sidewalk frontage. It was necessary to remove these trees as the campus lawn will be sloped down gradually to be level with the street to provide ADA-compliant access and to allow the new sidewalk to be level with the street. Once the sloping of the grounds and the majority of the project is completed, new landscape features will be added, including the planting of new trees on the campus in the areas that have been renovated.
Please be aware that the project will also include the demolition of the majority of the current sidewalk, retaining wall and railings along Atlantic Street this summer. There may also be road closures or detours as the project is in progress.
Montana Western would like to thank the Dillon community for their patience with the project and we look forward to providing safer access to the campus once the project is completed.
For more information, please email UMW Director of Facilities, Michael Brown: [email protected].
