Helena’s Front Street Improvements named 2019 Project of the Year

The American Public Works Association (APWA) Rocky Mountain Chapter announced Friday that KLJ’s project, Front Street improvements, has been named the 2019 Project of the Year. The project in Helena, Montana, was a complex undertaking that was conceptualized in 2015, designed in 2017, and finished within the 2019 construction season.

To address aging utility infrastructure, streetscape deficiencies, and inadequate hydraulic amenities along the Front Street corridor, KLJ worked with the City of Helena to develop solutions that could be implemented in a single project. The three-phase project incorporated roadway, storm drain, and water main improvements in downtown Helena. The updates enhance safety for pedestrians and bicyclists while meeting the needs for current utility capacities.

Unique project accomplishments include designing and implementing a raised intersection (the first of its kind constructed on a Montana Department of Transportation urban route); constructing a new 8-inch water main and 60-inch in a narrow corridor with an existing 21-inch sanitary sewer main; and incorporating ADA-compliant features for roadway and shared-use amenities.