Missoula wayfinding project to begin this year
MISSOULA, MT – Navigating the city of Missoula may become easier for tourists and residents alike when the first phase of a new wayfinding system falls into place this year.
While “Aquifer Below” and “Power to the Pedestrian” aren’t likely to make the cut for new signage, getting to the Missoula Art Museum, the Wilma Theatre or the nearest parking garage will, supporters told the City Council’s Committee of the Whole on Wednesday.
“We’ll focus first on pedestrian directional, parking and airport business district wayfinding, mainly because those are the areas we have funded at this time,” said Matt Elllis, a member of the Downtown Master Plan Implementation Team. “One of the first layers we’ll introduce this year will be the pedestrian layer. Most of it is in the downtown area.”The final plan also includes Missoula gateway signs, district gateways and vehicle directional signs. The signs are similar in architecture and style and, proponents say, can help promote the city’s finer assets.
“This began in 2011 around branding and wayfinding,” said Ellis. “We had 25 agencies and organizations come together. While we only had 50 percent support for branding, we had 100 percent support for wayfinding.”
The planning process cost roughly $88,500 to complete and was paid for by 10 organizations, including Mountain Line, the University of Montana and the Downtown Business Improvement District.
The city’s Developmental Services contributed $25,000 toward the plan, as did the Missoula Redevelopment Agency. The Missoula County Development Authority pitched in $10,000.
“Our next step is to present our final plan to all the funding agencies and to the community,” Ellis said. “We need to transition to implementation, and we’re happy to say the city has taken ownership of the bidding process for fabrication and installation of the signs and wayfinding materials.”
Carrying out the plan will occur in phases and cost roughly $1.5 million to complete. Of the 319 proposed wayfinding signs, 110 are vehicle directional signs costing $390,000.
More than 50 signs designate parks and trails, 43 direct pedestrians around the city, and 31 serve as interpretive and mapping signs.
While additional funding sources are being sought, the Missoula Parking Commission is working to complete the parking signs. Ellis told the committee that wayfinding for parks and trails, which carries a $215,000 price tag, will take place in phases as the city budget allows.
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The process has been years in the making, and supporters are eager to see the project completed. The consultant contracted for the work – MERJE – recommended other efforts to reduce sign clutter and eliminate unnecessary signs from the wayfinding concept.
