After several months of renovation, Baxter Lane is set to reopen to traffic this week

Bozeman, Montana – Baxter Lane is now available to through traffic after months of construction. Locals who live along this important thoroughfare say the work has been necessary but has been a drawn-out process.

“It’s Bozeman, it’s growth,” says Elinor Swanson.

Baxter Lane is home to Swanson. She claims there are benefits and drawbacks to the new roundabout and road work.

“Our house behind you, there is a bit of a pit and there didn’t used to be,” says Swanson. “The crossing lights, we were happy that they were coming so our kids could cross safely. But seeing it in reality, it’s a lot of boxes and equipment and just looks a little different than you would imagine.”

The project extends Cottonwood Road to Baxter from Oak Street beside the recently constructed high school.

“That will now be a much-needed relief valve to get some traffic off of Flanders Mill in particular,” says City of Bozeman Director of Transportation and Engineering Nick Ross.

Ross believes that by the end of this week, Baxter Lane will be completely accessible to traffic.

“We’re working as fast as we can,” says Ross. “We got to get the street lights energized and some of the final pavement work complete. But as soon as we can get all that done, we’re going to open the roundabout to traffic.”

He said the city is aware of how difficult the project has been on the locals.

“We appreciate everybody’s patience. We know it can get very hard to sit through the delays, but we’ve got a very short construction season in southwest Montana and we appreciate sticking with us,” says Ross.

Swanson doesn’t have many grievances, but she is relieved that the work is at last coming to an end.
“Everyone was working really hard and trying to accommodate us, and for the most part, I don’t have any complaints,” says Swanson.