Helena to add more than 50 ADA curb ramps in 6th Ward

Helena was pushing ahead with a summer accessibility project in the 6th Ward that added or repaired more than 50 ADA curb ramps, a change that can decide whether a wheelchair user, a senior with a walker, or a parent pushing a stroller can move block to block without help.

Homestead Handy LLC had started the work in late May, and the city said the installation of new ADA sidewalk infrastructure was scheduled to run through the end of August. During that stretch, pedestrian traffic was limited to one side of the street or the other, making the project a visible construction zone as well as a mobility fix.

The city said the 6th Ward ADA Ramps Project was funded mostly through grants, including money from the Montana Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives Program. Helena’s local share was 13.42 percent, bringing the city’s contribution to just under $650,000.

City procurement documents identified the work as City Project No. TSD-26-19, with federal-aid project numbers TA 5899(68) and TA 5899(69). The contract was set up as an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, fixed-price, best-value project, a structure the city said was meant to install as many compliant ramps as possible within the fixed budget. The scope included replacing and installing ADA curb ramps, transition sidewalk panels, and adjacent curb and gutter, all required to meet PROWAG guidelines, City of Helena Engineering Standards, and Montana Public Works Standard Specifications.

City transportation staff said Helena already had about 3,300 ramps installed, but that older parts of the city still needed upgrades because many sidewalks and crossings were built before modern accessibility standards. That gap is why the 6th Ward project matters beyond one neighborhood: for people using mobility devices, a missing ramp can turn an entire block into a dead end.

The city’s broader ramp program showed the scale of the effort. A separate 2026 solicitation listed 51 double-ramp ADA corners, 37 single ramps, two sidewalk panels with truncated domes, three alley drive approaches with truncated domes on each side, and two valley gutters. Another sidewalk improvement solicitation said city work could include ADA curb ramp replacements, trip hazard repairs, and missing sidewalk connections.

The 6th Ward has also been on Helena’s upgrade list before. In 2023, the city approved Railroad Urban Renewal District funds for parking, sidewalk, and crosswalk improvements in part of the neighborhood near the community garden, signaling a longer pattern of pedestrian-focused investment.

Ability Montana, which has Helena roots dating to 1985 and serves 14 counties in southwest Montana, including Lewis and Clark County, has pointed to curb cuts as basic independence infrastructure. In the 6th Ward, Helena was treating them that way too: not as cosmetic street work, but as one of the simplest ways to make an older neighborhood usable for more people.