HELENA, Mont. — The city of Helena, Montana Department of Transportation and BNSF Railway want feedback on possible changes to the railway intersection at N. Montana Avenue and the intersection of N. Montana Ave., E. Lyndale Avenue and Helena Avenue, also known as Malfunction Junction. A project to address those two points is in the early planning stages.
According to city officials, addressing the railroad crossing has been talked about for decades, and in 2025, a $3.2 million federal Railroad Crossing Elimination grant was secured for the project.
“We’ve started work and will continue through the end of this grant, which takes us through a couple years — environmental review and 30% design,” City of Helena Transportation Systems Director David Knoepke said.
Since the railroad crossing and the five-point intersection are so close together, they have been combined into one project.
“If we can secure funding for this project, it will be one of the bigger projects in town that the city has partnered on,” Knoepke said.
There is still a lot to do, and more funding to secure, before any construction happens.
“Three to five years additional for design, just depending on complexity and what has to be done, and then it’ll probably take a year or so, or two, to do the construction, just because of the complexity,” Knoepke said.
There will be an in-person open house about the project on Nov. 17 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Civic Center, and public comment is open on beheardhelena.com from Nov. 9 to Dec. 9.
