Work Begins on North End of Campus

Dear Campus Community,

Excitement is building for the redesign of the north end of campus. Over the coming months, we will be working on construction of a new Montana Museum of Art & Culture, a redesigned and extended Memorial Row providing enhanced connectivity from the Oval through to the Clark Fork River, and a state-of-the-art indoor athletic facility to benefit our campus and community members as well. While it is certainly an exciting time, it also brings some disruption to our everyday operations on campus. Just as you’ve shown with our projects at Lommasson, Aber and Craig hall, please continue to be patient and flexible as these new projects on the north side of campus get underway.

On March 19, work will officially begin on construction of the new Montana Museum of Art & Culture (MMAC), a 17,000 square foot facility to showcase Montana’s largest publicly-owned collection of art and one of the most significant collections of art and artifacts in the West.

Companion to construction of the MMAC, work will begin on extending Memorial Row, creating a bike/pedestrian-friendly corridor to the footbridge near Jacob’s Island. The entrance to campus on 6th street for vehicles will be re-engineered, along with parking lot P, to include bus drop-offs, crosswalks and increased ADA parking and accessibility for the Adams Center and PAR-TV.

The image below depicts the coming changes. The most significant changes involve closure of the east half of parking lot P and closure of 6th street past the midpoint of lot P and along the front of the Adams Center. The traffic on 6th Street will now be directed north through the middle of parking lot P.

Shows the blocking off of lot P for construction. From an aerial view, the fencing will follow curblines and placed in guttter, except for 5th street fence which will be placed on top of the curb. Image shows representation of where the fence construction will be.

As you review the image, note the following: 

  • The red boundary on this image is where a 6’ tall construction fence will be installed around the construction area. All areas inside the red line will be inaccessible except for contractors and project personnel.
  • The eastern half of parking lot P, parking along 6th street past the midway point of lot P, and parking in front of the Adams Center will be unavailable due to construction.
  • As indicated, eastbound traffic on 6th street will proceed through the center of lot P and 5th street will become 2-way traffic, enabling access to Campus Drive, Campus Rec, lot Z and other areas near the stadium.
  • Traffic direction will be clearly marked with signs to show the new flow.
  • Based on observed daily use, available parking along campus drive north and east of Washington-Grizzly Stadium, parking lot T at Facilities Services and along the eastern boundary of campus should provide sufficient parking for the spaces lost due to construction. To ensure you can find parking, please review the campus parking map and explore parking options. Plan to arrive early to campus the first few days so that you can assess the best options for you with regard to which lots or areas work best for your needs.

This will be the current construction perimeter for Phase I of construction from March 19 through May 13. We have plans to accommodate events scheduled in the Adams Center during this time, including UM Commencement, MCPS high school graduations, concerts and other live entertainment.

Completion of Memorial Row is tentatively set for this fall and completion of the museum will occur in the fall, 2024. More information regarding the indoor athletic facility will be shared as construction plans are finalized.

As we proceed through the project, additional updates will be shared regarding progress, access updates and other information. Please send questions via email to campusconstruction@mso.umt.edu.

Paula Short

Associate VP, Campus Operations, Preparedness and Response