The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is a

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

al agency in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

, responsible for numerous programs related to the construction, maintenance, and monitoring of Montana's transportation infrastructure and operations. While most of MDT's programs relate to the state's

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-acces ...

network, Montana's

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

s and

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

s are also under the agency's purview.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the department include: *Designing and constructing roads and bridges *Maintaining roads, bridges, and

rest area A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway serv ...

s *Collecting and enforcing fuel taxes *Enforcing safety, size, and weight laws for commercial vehicles *Managing the state motor pool *Designing and testing materials *Acquiring property *Enforcing Outdoor Advertising Control Act *Planning

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...

and rail programs *Planning

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

airports *Performing air search and rescue *Performing

snow removal Snow removal or snow clearing is the job of removing snow after a snowfall to make travel easier and safer. This is done by both individual households and by governments and institutions. De-icing and anti-icing De-icing is defined as removal ...

on roads

History

In March 1913, a state Highway Commission was created by the legislature, consisting of three members. George R. Metlen was the first chief engineer and the only paid member of the commission. The commission's budget was $5,000 per year. In July 1916, the First Federal Road Act gave $1.5 million to construct roads and bridges. The commission was expanded in March 1917 to include 12 members and a three-person executive committee. In 1919, a State Highway Department was formed. Four districts were created to cover the entire state. A three cent

gas tax A fuel tax (also known as a petrol, gasoline or gas tax, or as a fuel duty) is an excise tax imposed on the sale of fuel. In most countries the fuel tax is imposed on fuels which are intended for transportation. Fuels used to power agricultural v ...

was implemented in November 1926 to provide funding for the department, in addition to federal funding. During the Great Depression $1.5 million of

debenture In corporate finance, a debenture is a medium- to long-term debt instrument used by large companies to borrow money, at a fixed rate of interest. The legal term "debenture" originally referred to a document that either creates a debt or acknowle ...

bonds were issued on future gas tax revenue. In 1933, the state received $6 million from the New Deal for construction of roads. In 1935, newly appointed Chief Highway Engineer D. A. McKinnon reorganized the department to include several new divisions. The Highway Commission was reorganized to five members in 1941. The passing of the

Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, also known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, was enacted on June 29, 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law. With an original authorization of $25 billion for ...

gave major funding to the department and required it to be greatly expanded. In 1957, the four districts were replaced with five districts. The department moved to a new Highway Complex in 1978. In 1991, the Highway Department was reorganized and became the Montana Department of Transportation. The department's centennial year was celebrated in 2013.

Structure

MDT is headed by a director who reports to the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. Below the director is the deputy director. Also on this level is a five-member transportation commission, a nine-member aeronautics board, legal services, and public information services. The Transportation Commission's responsibilities include selecting projects, awarding contracts, designating roads to highway systems, and resolving outdoor advertising issues. The Aeronautics Board has authority over airport loan and grant funds and advises the rest of the department. The next level of the department is divided into five districts serving different areas of the state: *District 1:

Missoula Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...

*District 2:

Butte __NOTOC__ In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from a French word me ...

*District 3: Great Falls *District 4: Glendive *District 5:

Billings Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...

The department also contains the following divisions: *Administrative Division *Aeronautics Division *Information Services Division *Highways and Engineering Division *Human Resources and Occupational Safety Division *Maintenance Division *Motor Carrier Services Division *Rail, Transit, and Planning Division

Funding

The department does not receive any funding from the state's general fund. All revenue comes from federal sources and state sources including the gas tax and vehicle fees. This is split as 88.5% federal and 11.5% state. The money is put into the Highway State Special Revenue Account and can only be used for transportation related purposes. The department receives $2.27 from the federal government for every $1 it contributes to the Federal Highway Trust Fund. It receives 1% of the annual national highway funding. In the 2016

fiscal year A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...

, the department had $290,129,849 in revenue and $296,968,463 in expenditures. Increasing costs outpacing current revenue is causing the department to fall behind on maintenance of infrastructure by $1 billion each year.

Initiatives

The Adopt-A-Highway program helps to maintain scenic beauty by removing litter along roads. Participants agree to clean up litter at least three times a year for two years along an assigned two mile stretch of road.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control State departments of transportation of the United States State agencies of Montana 1992 establishments in Montana