He said he was surprised and disappointed when plans for the bridge were presented – plans that included a grassy area where his business currently sits.

“I wasn’t on the picture,” he said. “I will literally be in the shadow of that bridge. All we’re doing is asking the city to show us other options, but we haven’t seen a single other option on where to put that bridge when there are plenty of options.”

Lowe described himself as an avid cyclist who has ridden the trail from Lolo to Hamilton before. He’s not against safe passage for cyclists and improving Missoula’s trail network, though he doesn’t believe the bridge is necessary.

He also believes the trail's route is flawed where it crosses U.S. Highway 93 at Blue Mountain Road. He called it a dangerous intersection for bicyclists and wondered if a second bridge will be necessary to span the highway at that location.

“If they had designed the trail correctly, it would come into Missoula on the other (south) side of the highway,” he said. “The way they’re doing it makes it an incredibly expensive project.”