BILLINGS - Major changes will soon be coming to downtown Billings.
Crews have been working on electrical lines for street lights and making sidewalks ADA-compliant for the Two-Way Restoration project.
The $6.1 million project aims to preserve the roadways, address safety concerns, and optimize business access.
Those who live and work downtown have mixed ideas about whether or not that's going to be good or bad to have more two-way streets.
“It's kind of a multifaceted project, but there will be an impact to the public,” said Megan McLean, project communication coordinator for Dowl.
She says many of the streets need chip sealing.
And to go along with that, the city will convert those streets to two-way to go along with North 29th and North 30th, which were recently converted.
“The project is, is really to slow traffic, ease navigation, improve business exposure, improve walkability and multimodal connectivity,” McLean said.
McLean says the two-way streets are better for business, and some on 29th have seen more customers.
"The two-way parking, it's been really good for business," said Shirley M., a book seller at This House Of Books. "And especially during the summer when we get like tourists coming on. So then they'll get to look at both sides."
But there have been some challenges with the back and diagonal parking.
“We've seen people just kind of, you know, back into cars, back into the poles,” said Shirley.
“If they're trying to come to our store and their only option is back in parking, they will simply not come in,” said Megan Burns, a sales associate at Gypsy Wind.
Parking will be changed on 29th and 30th, and bike lanes will be part of the new setup.
Still, some prefer one-way streets.
“There's just something that's kind of unique and, and, and quaint about, you know, paying attention to the, to the signs,” said Shawn Thompson, who lives downtown.
“A lot of cities are moving towards restoring their streets to two-way to boost vitality in their downtown environments and to create a little bit more safety and traffic calming effects,” McLean said.
“I do think it would be beneficial to us, but also like it would only work for a certain length of the street,” said Burns.
An open house will be held on the two-way restoration project, on Thursday from 4 -6 pm at the Downtown Billings Association at 102 N. 29th St.
