Wanting to make Billings a premier community for healthy lifestyles and active transportation is one thing. Figuring out exactly how to do that is another. While the cost of one mile of 10-foot trail has increased to $350,000, federal funding for alternative transportation has decreased.  These are the challenges faced by transportation planners, and BikeNet’s Trails committee has been working for more than a year to prioritize the most important projects and work with organizations which can help build them.

BikeNet’s pin map.

In October 2013, BikeNet’s Trails committee set out to find the top five most demanded trails in Billings.  To do this, the committee surveyed groups from across the city about where they thought new trails and bikeways were needed. Groups such as the Chamber Trails Committee, Yellowstone River Parks Association and the Billings Dert Jerx provided input. The public was also invited to weigh in through a web poll. And at special events such as the Yellowstone Weekend for Women, Ales for Trails and other events, BikeNet presented the Billings trail tour map and asked attendees to mark desired (nonexistent) trails and trail connections with a pin. Finally, these desired trails were compared to the Billings Area Bikeway and Trail Master Plan to know what was already planned and if there were additional trails identified.

After compiling this information, dedicated members of the group created a list of the top five most demanded projects along with strategies to help get these trails built. The 12 months’ worth of work finally culminated in a presentation to BikeNet’s Board of Directors at their meeting in December. After lengthy discussion, the board approved the Committee’s direction and goals for the projects presented.

Zoo to Riverfront

Two of these projects include 1) a trail between the Zoo to Riverfront Park, which will provide nine miles of trail and bikeway between Shiloh Trail at Zoo Drive and Riverfront Park; and 2)  a trail along Highway 3 (27th St. near airport roundabout to Zimmerman Park (or Indian Cliffs). This trail will provide nine and a half miles of trail, from Mystic Park, up Chief Black Otter Trail, and spanning the length of the rims between Swords Park and Zimmerman Park; eventually Indian Cliffs. These two projects will help bring Billings’ Marathon Loop to further completion, and have been under intensive study by the City of Billings’ Planning Department.