Zimmerman Trail closes completely between Rimrock Road and Highway 3 at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, and stays closed through Monday, Nov. 30. That is three full weeks, and Thanksgiving falls inside them. According to Billings Public Works, the road carries more than 13,000 vehicles on an average day.
All of that disruption comes from one stretch of rock about halfway up the hill. For as long as it lasts, the West End's route to the airport, Highway 3, and Swords Park runs east toward North 27th Street. For most of the neighborhood, that is the only other documented road over the Rims.
The work targets one slab, about halfway up
The city's notice is short. It gives the dates, the traffic count, and a line asking drivers to "plan ahead and take the scenic route during construction." The City Council packet from Sept. 28 explains the rest.
In 2025, the city hired Terracon Consultants to evaluate rockfall hazards along Zimmerman Trail. Terracon flagged an approximately 70-foot-wide rock segment about halfway up the road that showed undermining and stress cracking. Its evaluation concluded that those conditions could eventually cause the segment to fail and drop rock onto or near the roadway. In March 2026, Terracon assessed the slab again and designed the fix.
The fix is an underpinning system made of four parts:
- Anchor bolts driven into the rock
- Wire rope cabling
- Steel anchor head plates
- Shotcrete, a sprayed concrete, to stabilize the segment
So the project is one engineered repair on one identified slab. KTVQ reported in September that the city is working to shore up some of the most concerning areas along Zimmerman Trail, and this contract is the piece of that work with a start date.
Six bids, and the low one came in over budget
The city advertised the project, Work Order 26-34, in the Yellowstone County News and on its website on Aug. 28, Sept. 4, and Sept. 11. It opened bids on Sept. 15. Six bids came in, and one was rejected for irregularities. The five remaining bids were:
| Contractor | Bid |
|---|---|
| Global Rock Works, LLC | $232,000 |
| Shotcrete Montana LLC | $248,932 |
| RokTerra, LLC | $255,400 |
| Midwest Rockfall, Inc. | $315,000 |
| Rockstars Slope Stabilization, LLC | $341,051 |
The highest bid was nearly half again the lowest. City staff recommended awarding the contract to Global Rock Works at $232,000, and the item went to the council on Sept. 28 as a consent agenda item. The city had budgeted $200,000 for the project in fiscal year 2027 from Street Maintenance District funds. The $32,000 difference is to come from savings in that district's capital program or, if needed, from putting off other planned capital projects.
The staff report also spelled out the alternative. If no contract is awarded, "the potential will remain for rocks to fall onto Zimmerman Trail, potentially causing damage."
Three weeks is long for Zimmerman
The road closes now and then, but recent planned closures have usually lasted a single workday. On July 30, 2024, KULR8 reported an annual maintenance closure between Rimrock Road and Highway 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Sept. 3, 2025, the city closed the same stretch from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the final step of a stormwater upgrade.
A one-day closure can be handled by running errands earlier or later. A 21-day closure changes every commute, school pickup, and airport run during those weeks.
The other documented way up runs through North 27th Street
Zimmerman Trail connects Rimrock Road on the West End with Highway 3 on top of the Rims, as the Billings Gazette has described it. Highway 3 runs from Apache Trail to the intersection of East Airport Road and North 27th Street, according to the Montana Department of Transportation's Highway 3 corridor study. That study also describes the highway as serving residential subdivisions and Rimrocks trails and open space.
The Billings Logan International Airport master plan draft describes North 27th Street as the road cut across the Rimrocks to downtown. Airport access is by East Airport Road at the Highway 3 and North 27th Street connection.
Put together, a West End driver headed for Highway 3, the airport, or anywhere along the top of the Rims has one documented alternative in November. Head east to North 27th Street, climb to East Airport Road, and then go west on Highway 3 if the destination is out that way. The city's notice doesn't name an official detour, so that is the practical route rather than a posted one.
Swords Park is on the same side of the loop. Billings Parks lists it at East Airport Road and Swords Park Drive, with trails, a natural area, a picnic site, and restrooms. Anyone who usually reaches the Rimrock trails by way of Zimmerman can get to Swords Park from the 27th Street end all month.
How the three weeks line up with other West End work
Zimmerman isn't the only roadwork on the West End this fall. Here is the order of events:
- Started Wednesday, Oct. 14: Signal construction at Grand Avenue and North 56th Street West, expected to take about six weeks. The city says two-way traffic will stay open and advises allowing extra travel time. Six weeks from the start date puts the end around Thanksgiving week.
- Finished Friday, Oct. 23: The Rimrock Road closure between 60th and 62nd Streets West for water and sewer installation is already over.
- Monday, Nov. 9, 8:30 a.m.: Zimmerman Trail closes from Rimrock Road to Highway 3.
- Thursday, Nov. 26: Thanksgiving. Any holiday trips to the airport or to family on top of the Rims will go by way of North 27th Street.
- Monday, Nov. 30: The closure is scheduled to run through this date.
So for roughly the first two weeks of the Zimmerman closure, the signal work at Grand and 56th will also still be underway. Drivers on the far west side could hit both in the same trip if they cut over to Grand on the way to North 27th Street.
What the notice leaves open
The Nov. 9 to Nov. 30 notice doesn't say whether people on foot or bike can use Zimmerman Trail during the work. It also doesn't address access to Zimmerman Park or the trailheads near the road. Until Public Works says otherwise, plan as if the whole corridor is closed from Rimrock Road to Highway 3.
A third road has been studied but not built. The Billings Gazette covered a feasibility study of a possible connector from Molt Road to Highway 3. All five alignments it considered crossed Molt Road west of Zimmerman Trail, and the preferred concept ran north of the Ironwood subdivision. The Gazette described it as a proposal, not a finished road, so in November 2026, North 27th Street is still the West End's way around.
The closure notice describes this single Nov. 9 to Nov. 30 window and doesn't announce any later phase. Billings Public Works posts updates on its news page, which is the place to check if the schedule changes.
If you're thinking about a move on either side of Zimmerman Trail and want to talk through how a home's daily drive works along with its price, Huskey Real Estate Group can walk you through it. Schedule a Consultation.