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Montana Department of Transportation

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Montana Department of Transportation
Mdt logo 2020.jpg
Agency overview
Formed1991
Preceding agency
  • Montana Highway Department
JurisdictionMontana
Headquarters2701 Prospect Avenue, Helena, Montana 59620-1001
Agency executive
  • Malcolm "Mack" Long, Director
Parent agencyState of Montana
Websitehttp://www.mdt.mt.gov/

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Montana, 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 network, Montana's railroads and airports are also under the agency's purview.

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Government

Government

A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.

U.S. state

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 sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Americans are citizens both of the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders.

Montana

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 Columbia, and Saskatchewan to the north. It is the fourth-largest state by area, the eighth-least populous state, and the third-least densely populated state. Its state capital is Helena, while the largest city is Billings. The western half of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges, while the eastern half is characterized by western prairie terrain and badlands, with smaller mountain ranges found throughout the state. The state has a reputation for a libertarian bent in popular opinion and policy.

Highway

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-access highway, or a translation for autobahn, autoroute, etc.

Airport

Airport

An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface such as a runway for a plane to take off and to land or a helipad, and often includes adjacent utility buildings such as control towers, hangars and terminals, to maintain and monitor aircraft. Larger airports may have airport aprons, taxiway bridges, air traffic control centres, passenger facilities such as restaurants and lounges, and emergency services. In some countries, the US in particular, airports also typically have one or more fixed-base operators, serving general aviation.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the department include:[1]

  • Designing and constructing roads and bridges
  • Maintaining roads, bridges, and rest areas
  • 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 and rail programs
  • Planning general aviation airports
  • Performing air search and rescue
  • Performing snow removal on roads

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Rest area

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 service area (UK), services (UK), travel plaza, rest stop, oasis (US), service area, rest and service area (RSA), resto, service plaza, lay-by, and service centre (Canada). Facilities may include park-like areas, fuel stations, public toilets, water fountains, restaurants, and dump and fill stations for caravans / motorhomes.

Public transport

Public transport

Public transport is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typically managed on a schedule, operated on established routes, and that charge a posted fee for each trip. There is no rigid definition; the Encyclopædia Britannica specifies that public transportation is within urban areas, and air travel is often not thought of when discussing public transport—dictionaries use wording like "buses, trains, etc." Examples of public transport include city buses, trolleybuses, trams and passenger trains, rapid transit and ferries. Public transport between cities is dominated by airlines, coaches, and intercity rail. High-speed rail networks are being developed in many parts of the world.

General aviation

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 for other purposes. However, for statistical purposes ICAO uses a definition of general aviation which includes aerial work.

Search and rescue

Search and rescue

Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search is conducted over. These include mountain rescue; ground search and rescue, including the use of search and rescue dogs; urban search and rescue in cities; combat search and rescue on the battlefield and air-sea rescue over water.

Snow removal

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.

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 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 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 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.[2]

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Great Depression

Great Depression

The Great Depression (1929–1939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagion began around September and led to the Wall Street stock market crash of October 24. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century.

Debenture

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 acknowledges it, but in some countries the term is now used interchangeably with bond, loan stock or note. A debenture is thus like a certificate of loan or a loan bond evidencing the company's liability to pay a specified amount with interest. Although the money raised by the debentures becomes a part of the company's capital structure, it does not become share capital. Senior debentures get paid before subordinate debentures, and there are varying rates of risk and payoff for these categories.

Bond (finance)

Bond (finance)

In finance, a bond is a type of security under which the issuer (debtor) owes the holder (creditor) a debt, and is obliged – depending on the terms – to provide cash flow to the creditor. The timing and the amount of cash flow provided varies, depending on the economic value that is emphasized upon, thus giving rise to different types of bonds. The interest is usually payable at fixed intervals: semiannual, annual, and less often at other periods. Thus, a bond is a form of loan or IOU. Bonds provide the borrower with external funds to finance long-term investments or, in the case of government bonds, to finance current expenditure.

New Deal

New Deal

The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs and agencies included the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Farm Security Administration (FSA), the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 (NIRA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). They provided support for farmers, the unemployed, youth, and the elderly. The New Deal included new constraints and safeguards on the banking industry and efforts to re-inflate the economy after prices had fallen sharply. New Deal programs included both laws passed by Congress as well as presidential executive orders during the first term of the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956

Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956

The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, also known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, Pub. L. 84–627 was enacted on June 29, 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law. With an original authorization of $25 billion for the construction of 41,000 miles (66,000 km) of the Interstate Highway System over a 10-year period, it was the largest public works project in American history through that time.

Structure

MDT is headed by a director who reports to the governor. 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:[1][3]

The department also contains the following divisions:[3]

  • 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

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Aeronautics

Aeronautics

Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identifies the aspects of "aeronautical Art, Science and Engineering" and "The profession of Aeronautics ."

Missoula, Montana

Missoula, Montana

Missoula is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot and Blackfoot Rivers in western Montana and at the convergence of five mountain ranges, thus it is often described as the "hub of five valleys". The 2020 United States Census shows the city's population at 73,489 and the population of the Missoula Metropolitan Area at 117,922. After Billings, Missoula is the second-largest city and metropolitan area in Montana. Missoula is home to the University of Montana, a public research university.

Butte, Montana

Butte, Montana

Butte is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers 718 square miles (1,860 km2), and, according to the 2020 census, has a population of 34,494, making it Montana's fifth largest city. It is served by Bert Mooney Airport with airport code BTM.

Great Falls, Montana

Great Falls, Montana

Great Falls is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 census. The city covers an area of 22.9 square miles (59 km2) and is the principal city of the Great Falls, Montana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cascade County. The Great Falls MSA’s population stood at 84,414 in the 2020 census.

Glendive, Montana

Glendive, Montana

Glendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States, and home to Dawson Community College. Glendive was established by the Northern Pacific Railway when they built the transcontinental railroad across the northern tier of the western United States from Minnesota to the Pacific Coast. The town was the headquarters for the Yellowstone Division that encompassed 875 route miles (1,408 km); 546 (879) in main line and 328 (528) in branches with the main routes from Mandan, North Dakota, to Billings, Montana, and from Billings to Livingston. The town of Glendive is an agricultural and ranching hub of eastern Montana sited between the Yellowstone River and the Badlands. Makoshika State Park is located just east of Glendive.

Billings, Montana

Billings, Montana

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 Metropolitan Area, which had a population of 184,167 in the 2020 census. It has a trade area of over 500,000.

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.[4] 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, 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.[1]

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.[1]

Source: "Montana Department of Transportation", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, March 8th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montana_Department_of_Transportation.

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References
  1. ^ a b c d "About MDT" (PDF). Montana.gov. State of Montana. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Timeline of Montana Department of Transportation History". Billings Gazette. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Department Outline" (PDF). Montana.gov. State of Montana. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Road & Bridge Funding in Montana". Montana.gov. State of Montana. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
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