Street Maintenance

The Street Department is responsible for over 200 center miles of city streets and approximately 18 miles of alleys. This includes but is not limited to repairing, sweeping, pothole patching, leaf cleanup, plowing, sanding, de-icing, and resurfacing the streets. In addition to paved roads there are several gravel roads within the city that the crews maintain.

A picture of work crews doing street repair

Not all streets within the city limits are city streets; some belong to the State of Montana, Gallatin County, and Montana State University as well as those that are privately owned and/or privately maintained. These streets are not maintained by the city; all maintenance issues including repair and plowing are done by the respective entities. Main Street, N. Rouse Ave., N. 7th Ave. and N. 19th Ave. are state highways; therefore maintained by the State. Streets in areas that are not annexed into the city and don't fit into any of the other categories listed above are county roads. MSU takes care of streets that are part of the campus. Most privately owned streets are part of a large area with individual dwellings such as trailer parks and condominium drives that are maintained by the property owner. Privately maintained streets are those that do not meet required city codes such as curb and gutter or width. The developer or homeowners associations is responsible for the maintenance of those streets. If you are unsure of where your street fits in, feel free to contact us at 582-3200, and we will assist you in any way we can.

We also help maintain the storm water system which includes all the creeks and drainage ditches within the city limits. We sweep the streets and dredge the ditches and we chop ice in the Bozeman Creek to prevent flooding. To learn more of the Storm water Management Program, click here .

The funds for street maintenance come from the Street Maintenance District, an annual assessment levied on each piece of property located within the city limits, and from gas tax revenues received from the State of Montana. The Street Department currently employs 11 full time employees, you can contact them individually via email by clicking here.

ANNUAL PROJECTS

The weather dictates what projects are scheduled to be worked on; the seasons are a good indicator of what will happen when.

Spring is when we bring out the street sweepers. It is imperative that we keep the storm sewers as clear as possible of any debris; so we start sweeping streets in the spring and go through summer and into fall. For more information on street sweeping, click here.

Summer is when most of the maintenance occurs. Streets are repaired and new ones are built. Most of the pothole work is done in the summer months once the hot mix plant is up and running. For more information on pothole patching and repair, click here.

Fall is when we concentrate on getting the leaves picked up off the streets, once again the storm sewers dictate that this be done. For more information on the fall leaf cleanup project, click here.

Winter is for plowing and clearing snow. To find out more on plowing, click here.