The City of Havre is moving forward with its Safe Streets and Roads for All Safety Action Plan, and city leaders are once again asking residents to help shape the future of transportation safety in the community.
Back in November, city officials, along with partners from the Montana Department of Transportation and Hill County, began gathering community feedback on roadway concerns as part of the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program.
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The initiative, funded through the United States Department of Transportation, provides grants to local governments working to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries.
Now, after months of analyzing crash data and community surveys, the project team has identified several high-risk corridors and possible improvements across Havre.
City officials say the goal is to improve safety for everyone who uses the roads.
“We’re hoping to improve our roadway access for vehicles, pedestrians, motorcyclists, any multi-modal use on our streets and roads — especially around areas like our city parks, hospitals, emergency routes and schools,” said Havre Director of Public Works Trevor Mork.
Mork says many of the improvements being considered could be relatively small but still make a meaningful impact on safety.
“Some of those improvements that we can expect would be changes in how our infrastructure works,” Mork said. “It’s small things — the markings that we paint, the signs, to even changes in how the roadways are laid out.”
The city will present its findings during a public meeting Thursday, March 12th from 4 to 6 p.m. at Havre City Hall, City Council Chambers at 520 4th Street where residents can review data collected so far and weigh in on proposed solutions.
“For the public meeting this Thursday, we plan on talking about the data that we have found so far and interpreted, and the findings thereof,” Mork said. “We’re trying to present areas that we can demonstrate minor projects to show how Safe Streets for All can work, especially if we get implementation funding.”
One example the city is evaluating is an intersection with wide, unmarked pedestrian crossings and limited visibility due to hills in both directions — a location Mork says could benefit from a “complete street” approach that improves access and safety for multiple types of road users.
City leaders say community input remains critical as the project continues.
“We’re open to hear any feedback that you have, or improvements you would like to see in the community,” Mork said. “More support speaks to a better story, a stronger need. The more surveys that we have would help us immensely.”
The current phase of the project focuses on developing the Safety Action Plan, which is required before communities can apply for federal funding to build larger safety projects.
Mork says the city hopes to submit a finalized plan to the Federal Highway Administration by early 2027.
“We do hope to have our final draft submitted to the Federal Highway Administration at the turn of the new year, 2027,” he said. “That way we can apply for those implementation dollars. So it’ll be a couple of years until we get the big projects rolling.”
Still, city officials say the long-term goal is clear.
“We want to have that ability to make sure we’re sustainable in the future and make our roads safe today,” Mork said.
Residents interested in learning more or providing feedback can attend Thursday’s meeting at Havre City Hall or participate in surveys as the project continues to develop.
To access the survey, visit https://bit.ly/HavreSafetySurvey
For more information about the Greater Havre Area SS4A Safety Action Plan, visit https://bit.ly/HavreSS4A
