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Missoula County (2017) Print
2017 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Transportation
└ Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
└ Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Missoula County officials hoped to demonstrate options for improved pedestrian access to East Missoula's downtown. Staff and volunteers put out straw bales, planters and trees to calm traffic, as well as create a temporary bike and walking path near a popular store and service station. They also set up a pop-up park. They also set up an area with picnic tables, canopies and umbrellas. Food trucks and a banner helped attract visitors to the event, along with sidewalk games, face painting and mural making. Attendees could see how possible future safety improvements would work and were invited to provide feedback. Project organizers report the demonstration helped secure buy-in from nearby business owners, who had previously expressed skepticism about changes to the streetscape. Since the event, the County has working to permanently implement the interventions envisioned during the event, including forming long-term plans to reconstruct a major highway corridor.
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Payson, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Town officials, community members and local artists collaborated to construct downtown Payson's first ever crosswalk on historic Main Street. The artistic, accessible crosswalk debuted at the Olde Main Street Days festival, where volunteers helped local artists color in the crosswalk's playful design. The final product, which features two ADA-compliant ramps on either side of the crosswalk, is a functional piece of art that has since spurred three additional outdoor art installations near Main Street.
Burnsville, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Burnsville city staff identified four crosswalks in need of safety improvements. To make the crossings safter for people on foot, they installed flashing beacons, which pedestrians activate by pushing a button. The flashing lights alter drivers to people crossing the street, prompting them to slow down. They also repainted pavement striping, added signage and improved sidewalks to make them ADA-accessible. To evaluate the efficacy of the changes, the City conducted a pedestrian study after installation. The City is now working to educate drivers about the beacons and crosswalk safety.
Washington, DC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: To mark the arrival of a new grocery store to the Bellevue neighborhood, Safe Routes to Healthy Food for Older Adults set out to improve traffic safety, increasing locals' ability to access food. At the annual Taste of Harvest Festival, residents of the Bellevue neighborhood helped paint a vibrant, vegetable-themed crosswalk. The event also invited attendees to paint reusable shopping bags, which gave project organizers an opportunity to chat with residents about their ideas for improving neighborhood safety. Following the success of that even, organizers created a second artistic crosswalk at a mobile farmer's market near a local library branch. While painting took place, project organizers conducted a survey to gather feedback on traffic safety. This led to conversations about residents' frustrations accessing healthy, affordable food. Organizers say they hope the project leads to permanent infrastructure improvements in the future.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Missoula, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Transportation Other
Description: Missoula In Motion addressed speeding and unsafe crossings on neighborhood greenways that older adults and other residents use to reach schools, parks and local services. Although the city had installed traffic calming features, conflicts between drivers and people walking continued, especially at busy intersections. The project added two artist-designed street murals at key crossings, created with hands-on help from residents during an open streets event and volunteer paint days that included older adults. The murals increased visibility and signaled that the streets are shared spaces, prompting drivers to slow and pay attention. One community leader said, “This intersection has become the primary crossing zone for kids coming to and from school... the mural is helping to make it a safer street.†The changes made crossings feel more predictable and comfortable for people of all ages and strengthened community support for ongoing traffic safety efforts.
Missoula, MT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2019
Project Category: Accessibility of amenities
Description: To expand access to people who have historically been left out of caving, spelunking and speleology activities, the Montana State Parks Foundation installed a new ADA-compliant weather and shade covering at the entrance to the Lewis and Clark Caverns Paradise Room. Since the project completed, thousands of tours of the cave's magnificent Paradise Room have taken place. The Montana State Parks Foundation has also secured more funding and has made similar accessibility improvements at other parks across the state. The project brought in new partners, increased community awareness of accessibility efforts and led to increased engagement from volunteers and visitors.
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