HELENA — When many Helena residents fill up their trash cans and recycle bins, they head over to the city transfer station, but the next time they stop by, things may look a little bit different.
The city is making improvements to the entrance of its transfer station, addressing issues residents have experienced for years.
“The need has been ongoing for a long time,” said Helena public works director Ryan Leland. “It's been 10 years plus that we've needed to do something for the entrance.”
The transfer station gets 300 to 400 cars a day and 180,000 cars annually, seeing plenty of use.
The main purpose of the upgrades is to widen the driving lanes for vehicles entering and exiting, allowing gentler turns, especially for larger vehicles.
“We were having lots of conflicts with the semis coming across, going into other lanes, which is not safe, especially as Benton is getting more and more traffic,” said Leland.
Over the years, the city has seen numerous near-misses and even collisions at the entrance with cars coming up and down Benton Avenue.
Funding for the project is estimated at around $400,000 and will come from usage fees for the transfer station itself.
A new area for after-hours drop-offs will also be added for items such as cans, glass, and paper. An additional exit will be connected to the Carroll College parking lot to improve exiting traffic during events.
Residents MTN spoke with who use the transfer station say they’re looking forward to seeing the improvements.
“To finally get it checked off is very big for both us and everyone at the transfer station,” Leland stated.
The transfer station will be closed on June 18 and 19 to complete paving and will reopen on June 20.
The project started May 1, and work is expected to be finished before July 1, with crews adding the finishing touches and landscaping the area over the next two weeks.
