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Helena street temporarily closes for traffic study, ahead of Heritage Center project

Posted at 7:15 PM, Feb 26, 2020
and last updated 2020-02-27 00:17:06-05

HELENA — A section of road near the Montana Historical Society in Helena will be closed for several days, as leaders look at possible plans for building the new Montana Heritage Center.

From Thursday, Feb. 27, to Tuesday, March 3, 6th Avenue will be closed between Roberts and Sanders Streets. Drivers can access the parking lot across from the Historical Society building by using 8th Avenue.

The Heritage Center project team is working with the city of Helena on a traffic study. They are investigating how traffic patterns would change around the State Capitol complex if that stretch of 6th was closed permanently.

Leaders have talked about the possibility of closing the road so that the Heritage Center and the current Historical Society building can be connected at ground level. However, they are still in the design phase and have made no final decision.

In the coming weeks, the project team will also be talking with city staff about what effects closing 6th could have for sewer, water and other systems.

If you have questions about the closure, you can contact Russ Katherman, administrator of the DOA's Architecture & Engineering Division, at (406) 444-3104.

Leaders thanked Helena drivers for their patience.

Lawmakers approved about $52.7 million to build the Heritage Center last year. In December, the Montana Department of Administration announced the building would be located adjacent to the Historical Society, at 6th and Roberts. Leaders hope to begin preliminary work at the site as soon as this summer.

You can find more information about the Heritage Center project here.