HELENA – The city of Helena will move forward with their proposal to expand parking access at the Beattie Street Trailhead, the most popular entrance to Mount Ascension.
On Wednesday, city commissioners heard public comment about their revised “Alternative 1” plan for the trail head, initially proposed in May.
The “Alternative 1” plan includes 20 parking spaces, a restroom, an information kiosk, a pet station and picnic tables.
They also discussed the city’s traffic and speed studies for the area, completed by Abelin Traffic Studies this summer.
The studies found the majority of drivers on Beattie Street drive less than 30 miles per hour.
Some neighbors say the changes to the trail head will increase traffic, possibly posing a danger, and they don’t see a need for additional parking at the trail head.
But city commissioners want to move forward with developing the final design.
Some also requested additional traffic studies in the area, to see if there is a continued need for traffic calming and sidewalks.
Neighbors who spoke in support of the improvements say the parking lot needs to be more accessible to people with disabilities.
Reporting by Evelyn Schultz for MTN News
