Project Overview

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), the community of Pablo, and various stakeholders are working together through the South of Pablo Safety Improvements project to reduce the number of fatal and serious injury crashes at the intersection of US Highway 93 (US 93) and Old Highway 93. This intersection, located one mile south of Pablo, poses a risk because drivers must cross several lanes of fast-moving traffic.

Intersections on divided highways like this one are prone to right-angle (T-bone) crashes, especially when drivers try to cross all four lanes of traffic. Over the past 13 years, the Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) has recorded 15 crashes at this location, including two that were fatal. After working closely with local stakeholders, MDT chose to move forward with designing a Reduced Conflict U-Turn (RCUT) for this intersection, a type of Reduced Conflict Intersection (RCI) that enhances safety and reduces the likelihood of serious crashes.

Project Design Details

The design focuses on improving the intersection by developing the RCUT, which involves adding dedicated left-turn lanes and U-turn opportunities north and south of the intersection. These features are carefully designed to accommodate larger vehicles like semi-trucks and agricultural equipment, including pilers and combines. Other changes include realigning the left-turn lanes, adding medians, and updating the overhead lighting.

The design also incorporates feedback from the stakeholder committee. This includes raising the grade of the southbound lanes on US 93 north of the Mud Creek bridge to improve visibility, moving the bike path crossing at Old Highway 93 further west to improve sight distance and provide a staging area to yield to pedestrians and cyclists, as well as adding a southbound acceleration lane south of the intersection to help drivers merge.

Project Progress

The design team has made significant progress and completed various preliminary reports. These reports analyzed soil conditions, right-of-way and property ownership, traffic volumes and conditions, utilities, hydrology and hydraulics, traffic noise, environmental conditions, and biological resources. Following these reports, the design team developed a layout, alignment, and grade for the proposed project. This initial design concluded with an Alignment and Grade Report (AGR). The next task for the design team will be the Plan-in-Hand (PIH) Report.

Timeline and Funding

The project is currently in the design phase. The Alignment and Grade Report were finalized at the end of 2024. Once the design and preliminary engineering plans are finalized, the project will be bid for construction, tentatively planned for 2028. This schedule is subject to change based on the completion of the design and other unforeseen factors. This project is funded through the Federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP).

Public Involvement

MDT plans to hold a public meeting in 2025 to share the new intersection design and geometry. This meeting will allow the community to learn about the proposed changes and share their feedback.

UPN 9358000