Report to the 53rd Legislature

36 Pages·1993·2.2 MB·English

by  Montana. Dept. of Transportation

's
388.1
T6rL
1993
MONTANASTATE LIBRARY
S388.1T6rt.1993C.1
Reporltothe Legislature
3 0864 00082723 1
Hi^hli^hts
Contents
M<jntjuia"sIX'partnicntofTransportationis
ui^janlzctlandfunctioning.Aeronautics. Kail
&Traiisii. Ili_nh\\a\.s.aixl MotorCarrierServices
Divisions, togetherwithan admini.strativedivi-
sion, all report tothe Director'sOffice.
Congresspassedanewfederaltransporta-
tion funding law, l.STK.A (pronoiincetl "ice
tea"). Thesix-yearauthoriziitionactisregarded
as the most sweeping change in the surface
transportation program since the interstate era
began over30yearsago.
Montana'sshare ofthe fimding represents a
modest increase ofabout 2 jiercent over the
1986 level. But gi\en the no-growth or even
negative growth likely under other proposals
thatwerebeforeCongress,Montanawonsome
ground.
Winsincludeaslightlyincreasedshareofthe
totalfederal highwayprogramanda handfulof
demonstration projects.
Perhapsthemostdramaticchangeresulting
from I.STIi\istherestructuringofthefederal-aid
highwaysystemsandfunding programs.
I.STTA eliminates all of the familiar pro-
—
gram.s the primar>', secondaryand urban .sys-
tems. ItreplacesthemwithaNationalHighway
System(NTLS)andaflexibleblockgrantprogram
cxilledtheSurfaceTransportationProgram(STI^).
Unless Montana and other rural western
states are able to modify the present federal
plan, we anticipateMontana's pennanent NHS
will consist of the interstate system and only
about 1,700 primarysystem miles. This repre-
sents less than one-third ofMontana's former
primars' .sy.stem.
TenpercentoffederalSurfaceTransporta-
tion Funds must be spent on itemswhich
are not a normal part ofa basic highway
project.Theseactivitiesarecalled "Transporta-
tion Knhancements." The majority of these
fimds. roughly $5 million per year, are being
alkxrated to IcK'al governments.sothat they .set
the priorities.
Kligible projects include pedestrian and bi-
cycle facilities as well as landscaping, cultural
and historicenhancements.
Amajorstate-fundedprogramtopreserve
deteriorating pavements on Montanas sec- Marvin Dye,
ondan highways is planned. This program is DirectorofTransportation
Ix'ingtailed "SaveOurSecondaries" and isde-
scrilx'd on page 6. MontanaAeronautics Board
Arevenueincreaseequaltoa 5centincTease Joel Fenger. Chairman
in fuel taxeseffeaiveJuly 1, 1993andan addi- JoeAttwood
tional Scentincrease infueltaxeseffectiNeJuly Leland Ford
1. 1994isnecessar\'tomaintainMontana'shigh- Douglas Freeman
ways,matcha\ailablefederalaid,andcontinue Howard Gipe
a modeststateconstructionprogram. GregMecklenburg
Local maintenance sections were the sub- PhillipO. Pederson
ject ofa first-time-ever review, with sub-
Sharel Stroh
stantial (and understandable) resistance from
GeorgeTesknick
communitieswhereclo.singamaintenancesec-
tion was part ofthe consideration. Montana Highway Commission
Tliestud)'showedccmtinuedneedforalle.K- Dan Huesti>. (.Iiainn.in
Lstingfacility'locations. Butimprovedefficiency Roy Duff
canbe achie\ed by combining responsibilities DennisShea
andbyre\ising.staffing. Ninemaintenancesec-
MurrayEhlers
tionsvserecon\ertedtoSiitelliteoperationsasa
Ed Smith
resultofthestudy.Attheselocatioas,aminimal
pennanentstaffissupplementedbyseasonalor
temporars' employees.
Service to the trucking industry is im-
provedwithanew"one-stop" programfor
computerized issuance of special permits.
Taicks entering Montana can arrange for [per-
mitsbeforearriving; the actual pemiit is i.ssued
bycomputerat thefirstweighstation.
Amajorneweffortisunderwaytoprovide
more rest areas on .Montanas priman high-
way .system. It's de.scrilxrd and illustrated on a
mapon page7.
On The Cover. Interstate 15south ofDillon.
Montanii'sintenlutesystem isinivn-goodcondition.
Combinedwithourlacko/coiifiieslion. ourinterstate
mayIx'o'neoftherealplusesMontanatakesintothe
tiivnty-Jirstcentury.(LonieStimacphoto)
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Letterfrom the Director
Uinu.itA IS. lW->
It'sapleasureandanhonortobeseleaedby Montana'seconomywillgrow andexpand,
GovernorRacicottoheadtheMontana Depart- but only ifwe have the infrasiaicture in place
mentofTransportation. I intendtofcxusontlie to handle thatexpansion. Transp(.)rtation ises-
quality of ser\ices our agency pro\ides and sential. .\nd scjI'meagerand read)'tohelptlie
makesuretlielegislature'sintentiscarriedout department and the state meet this challenge.
that thisbea true transpcirtation agency. Wfeallplayarole,we'reallinvolvedtosomede-
.\IDTis just o\era yearold.July 1. 1991, the gree, and I look forward to working with you
Department ofHighways, theAeronautics and and the citizens ofour state on the important
Rail (>!; Transit Divisions ofthe Department of tasksthat lieahead.
Commerce, andtheMotorFuelsTax Bureau of
theDepartmentofRe\enuewerefomiallycom-
binedtocreatetlienewMontanaDepartmentof
Transportation. Reorganizationoftheunitsinto
the new stnicture is complete and the staff is Ij[(Ua^
workingto identifyand carryout programs in- Marvin Dye
tendedtoimprovetransportation in Montana. DirectorofTransportation
RapidchangesintransportiUionareoccurring
national!)-,aswellasinMontana.Anewfederal
surfacetransportationlawwasenactedbyCon-
gress in December of 1991 that significantly
altersfederal-aidhighwayfimdingandsystems.
ApprovaloffreetradeagreementswithCanada
and Mexico present opportunities and chal-
lenges as well, in international trade and,
therefore, in transportation.
Montana has a good record of progress in
coastructinghighwayimprovementprojects. In
addition. impro\ingcustomerservicewasa high
priority underthe previous admini.stration and
I uill continuethatemphasis.
The department and the admini.stration are
supporting an increase in fuel taxes and that
support is for good cause. In 1993. Montana
begins paying $17 million per year to retire
bonds which financed the majorir\' ofthe .state
financed Reconstruction Trust Fund Program
carriedoutduringthe 1980s.Andit'simportant
we take advantage ofthe available federal-aid
and continue the transportaticjn improwment
program at its current level.
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Page 3
Management
Initiatives Other roles forthe department important to
Montimans include consideration ofthe envi-
strategic Plan ronment, access to transportation for all
In order id develop a unified vision of Montanaasandefficientmovementofthestate's
Montana'siraasponationfutureduringthistime gcxxLs and prcxJut^s.
ofstateandfederaltransition,^TD^hascommit- A surprising survey result is that most
tedtoa strategic planning process. Montanan's don't see MDTas taking a leader-
While strategic planning has been used ex- shiprole ineconomicdevelopmentortourism.
teasivelyintheprivatesectorsincethe 1950s, its Ofcourseitwon'tIx'possibletoachievethe
use in publicagenciesismorerecent. Strategic departmentsgoalsimmediateh'. but theaciion
planning is simpK'a process that will establish planadoptedinNovemlierisagtxxlIx'ginning.
a future direction forthe department and then 0\erthene.xtseveralyearsasllieplanisimple-
developanactionplantomoveinthatdirection. mented, the department will be able to
TheprocessusedtodevelopMDTsmission demoastratean increa.sed levelofaccountabil-
and goals included a survey ofstate residents it\- tothe legislature and .Montana's citizens.
andanAdvisoryCommitteefromabroadcross
Computerized Truck Permits
sectionofthedepartment'scustomers.
Thesurvev'waswell respondedtoacrossthe The IWl Legi-slatureautliorizedtliepurchase
state. Asa result ofoursurveywe learned: ofcomputers and equipment foran improved
programtoissuespxxialpermitstotrucksenter-
• "Safety" and "building and maintaining a
ingMontana.
statewide transp<5rtation system" should be
Fre\ioasl>\anyonewantingtoenterMontana
thedeparmieni's top twopriorities.
• MDTshouldnot"ownandop)eratetranspor- withanoversizeoroverweightloadrequiringa
special pemiit hadtoarrange for pavment and
tation systems" or "take o\er local road
pemiiLstliroughthenuil,a "fa.\"orothermeaas.
maintenance."
Mission Goals
Ottr Mission is to:
SERVE THE PUBLIC BYESTABLISHINGA TRANSPORTATIONSYSTEM THATEMPHASIZES
SAFETY, ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS.
Safety Performance
Emphasizeandcoordinatesafetythroughout Beresourcefulandstrive forexcellence in
thetransportationsystem. organizationaleffectiveness, efficiencyand
accountability.
Environment
integrateenvironmentalconsiderationsintoall Employees
departmentplans, designsandactions.
Establishaworkenvironmentthatfosters
employeeparticipation, recognitionand
Trcmsportatioii Efficiency accountability.
Facilitate theefficientmovementofgoods and
people withinMontana.
Sen-ice Orientation
Establishaserviceorientationtowards
Accessibility constituents, customers andthepublicby
Promotecost-effectiveaccessibilityto txingresponsive, informativeandopen to
transportation forallMontanans. outsideinvolvement.
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Buta new (.(iTiipiuerized.s\stemlinkingall()t Ix- impro\ed bycombiningresp(risibilitiesand
MDTsweighstationswitli hcacitiuartcrs in Hel- resising.startingat some Uxations.
ena will improveservicebyallowinga taicker Nine-maintenance sections have been con-
to make arrangements in advance. Then the verted to satellite operations as.a result. The
Ilelenaofficeissuesanelectronicauthorization action con.solidated operational sections from
inJomiingweighstationpersonnelthetruck has 132 to 123 and increased .satellite Icxations
tx'en pre-approvedtoenterthestate. facilities under the supervision ofan adjacent
—
When the truck arrives at the first weigh .section from4to 13. Satellitesareoper.itedon
station, it's checked for compliance and for eithera.seasonalorfull-timebasiswith minimal
satisfactory payment arrangements. Once permanent .staffsupplemented by .seasonal or
conflnned. a [X^nnit is issued electronically for temporary employees.
ofx-ratingon Montana roads. During the conduct of the .section study,
With this program, ever^' scale will have therewassubstantialkxalresistimcefromcom-
quickandeasyaccesstoinformation on trucks munities where consideration was given to
with valid special pemiits. It means lietter and closinga maintenancesection.
moreefficientenforcement,aswellasimprcned
—
service to the industry.
MDTivas
able to recruit civil engirieeiy
Technical Recruitment
Failure to recruit yoimg civil engineers and nearly all aregraduates ofMontana colleges
otherhighlysjiecializedtechnicalpersonnelhas and the majohty nativeMontanans
been a problem for years. To address it, MDT . . .
receivedspecialapprovalfromtheStatePerson-
nel Divisiontoraisecertainstartingsalariestoa
near-competitivelevel, .^sa result, in 1991 MDT Cost ResponsibilityStudy
was able to recruit 19 civil engineers and civil The 1991 Legislature mandated that MDT
engineeringtechnicians; thusfarin 1992we've conduct a co.st responsibility study to ensure
recruited 13. Nearly all of these recruits are the level oflicense and Gross Vehicle Weight
graduatesof.Montanacolleges,andthevastma- (GVW) fees are equitable compared to all MSIM'aglrtadGuaaptpeeiwaosfBrielclniinigsl,edainn
jority^are nativeMontanans. other highway-using vehicles. This .study is 1991towork/orMDTasaC.E.
Vi'e'reoptimisticwe'llIx?abletoretaina rela- nowcomplete. SpecialistII.
tively' high percentage ofthe.se young people.
Although not an immediatecrisis, ourabilityto
continuetodeliverand improvetransportation
services into the twenty-first century is closely
linked tothe numlxrandqualityofyt)ungpro-
fessional people the department recruits and
retains.
Maintenance Section Study
An in-tlcptli siiid\ of liigliw.iy maintenance
sectionsv^•asconducted in 1991 to improve ef-
ficiencybyincreasing,decreasing,consolidiiting
or otherwise changing .sections while limiting
adverseeffectsonhighwaymaintenance,safety,
orservicetothe pulilic.
Every highway maintenance section in the
state was reviewed for such things as .section
boundaries, facilities, equipment, staffing and
general necessity
Tfiestudyindicatedthat whilethere'sa neetl
torall existingfacilitykxations,efficiencycould
n
Pa^e 5
.
The first pan ofthe study indicates the total thecurrentfeecla.s.ses(16percentfanii, SS per-
.revenue needed to support tlie highway pro- cent concrete mixers, 7S percent logs). It
gram isinsufficient. However, proportionately, asse.s.sestlieeffectofafeestructureba.sed.solel\
taicks are pa\ing slightly more than their fair on powerunits. In addition, it sup|-K)rts repeal-
share, andautomobilesare pa>ingslightly less. ing current truck trailer fee schedules and
We
plan toadvocate legislation in 1993tocor- substitutinga (Xiv\erunitonly feeschedule.
rect this inetjuity.
Facilities Management
Parttwoofthestud\ addre.s.sesthe\alidit)-of
In support of its major transportation func-
MDT
tions, has majorbuildings and facilitiesat
Publicfomms were held in thefall of'92, approximately 150sitesinMontana.Thesefacili-
thefirststeps toward a more proactivepublic ties have replacement \alue in excess of fifty
million tlollars.
involvementprocess. A facilities management function has been
.
implemented at the Helena head(|uarters. This
aai\itywill:
• a.ssure integrated sy.stematit iilanning antl
rankingoffacility investments
• improve coordination offield actions with
long-rangeagency plans
• reduce cost and improve the utilil\ of nev\'
facilities
• reducecostandenhanceeffeaivenessofre-
habilitation and repairprojects
• bringgreater.sensiti\it\ and professionalism
intothechoicesMDTmakesinmanagingits
various office buildings, maintenance ga-
rages, rest areas, and otherfacilities.
Transportation Forums.
We In the fall of 1W2, .\IDT Ix'gan conducting
need your transportation forums throughout Montana.
W'liilethese fonimswere required b\-the plan-
20 worth. ning pro\ isions of the new I.STE.\, the
department al.so u.sed them as a first .step in a
proacti\e public involvement process. These
TheMontanaDepartmentofTransportationwon'tspend meetingswere intended to:
millionsonroads,railandmasstransituntilwehearfromyou.
WVu.mi[I.iii\<>KfMilli-.iil\ inpi.niiimi4wIiltck-ilcr.il.iinl • pro\ideinfomiationontheprogramsandser-
stalenuHicy>?h.*?. SowcwcfttMin;yourpanidputionatthevip- \icesofthe department
coniinjiirja<ip(>rtatKffifcmim.
Ojmcandsec<Hirpl;m,sforliighways.nil.airirj\t-land • share infomiation on the requirements and
massiransit.RtkIouiwIktvihemoneycomesfromarxlwhea' programs ofthe new federal act
ilgoes.Thenlellii>ifwe'reontherightroad.
Vi'hetJier\-ou'a-inieresiedinlightrail,transitorjustwant • describe upcoming tmnsportation projects
aprorjoLcixdiscisihnoeulsdtrwaieghftoerngeedt,awbeoutw?anWthatotIinsrsaurefsnswhiouylodu.wVeChla>te andgatJierinput fornew projects
addressingi*Vi'hich nxidsand hridge>should weimprove? • provide an opportunity for discussion of
Droiudtesy,ouaa'klKn-oi>wk>gtil<K.-'rael'stlnigKs>.nea>ndfofrorbiUkxe-walaygso.vwearlnkmweanytss,tsotelnuiity Montana's transpt)rtation future.
historicproperties-' The meetings were attended by over 350
Comesee.hearandspeakup.Andliesuretopickupafree
informationtx>oldet.nowa\'ailaNeatlix-alliliraries.nex^ispapiTv .Montana residents, includinga significant num-
planningoffitv^andyourNHYfIX^trictt^ive Ix^rofliKal and state decision makers.
—
TransportationForum Onethingwasclearatallthesessions how
M.inJ.i\. \ugu-.i.M
Montanaitsitvreinriledto 2:(10p.m.and"^-.Wp.m.,HozemanLilYUT>' importanttransportationistoMontanans,Afew
of,fertheir"2Citnrth"onaHide JV/ ofthecomments receixed:
raiifieofissuesatpublicfonims • concernsaliouttrucktrafficinsomecorridors
heldill 16citiescicmssthestate. ofthe state
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Page 6
• ihc need lormore rcsi areas wherea thin asphaltoverlayfollowedbya.seal
• the.safet\'ofsome ItKations and co\er at an average cost ofabout S56.(XX)
• tlieneedformoreNational HighwaySystem per mile is the only pnictical measure. In gen-
routes in theeastern part ofthe state eral, it is n(M practical for counties to u.se the
• thetlesirabilityoffindingwaystoivducecon- federal-aidfundstheyreceiveonthe.se projects
gestion on the highwuN s\stem. bec~ause .so much ofthe money is diverted to
All the comments will he used in the pay for items such as slope flattening, briilge
ilepartment's future siatewitle iransportation \\idening. andguardrail replacement.
jilanning prcxress. MDT recommends a $1S million-per-year
SOS program aimed at preserving the.se older
Program Initiatives secondary pavements beginning in 199.3. The
work would lie paid for from the 100 percent
Save OurSecondaries state-funded Recfinstruction Trust Fund and
l\\eiU\-nnK- hundretl miles of Montana's wouldl")edoneliycompetitivebidcontract. The
fort\-eigiil hundred mile secondaiy system are Montana As.sociation ofCounties has fonnally
pa\eti. Most ofthese pavements have been in endorsed theSaveOurSecondaries program.
serviceforo\'er20years, and manyofthemare Costs for this secondary system pavement Sccoinlciry l/ifihiniy 228
heltveeii ilighwooilandGreat
inseriousneedofpavement preservationv\-ork. preser\ation work were not—included in pre\i- f'cills itds hiiill hctween 1955
Insomecases,a$20,(XX)-per-milesealandcover ous MDT needs estimates technically the IIIid1970. '/hi'iMin'meiitheivis
projectwillsealthesurfaceandprovideanother counties, nottheStateofMontana, are respon- typicalofthesecondaryhigh-
wayparemenls which could
ten-plusyearsofusable life. sibleforalmostallsecondarysystemmileagein Itenefitfromthe"SatvOurSec-
In manycases, however, pavementcracking Montana. ondaries" program. (Eldon
andwaterinfiltrationhaveprogressedtoa point McNicolphoto)
RestArea Program mar> highways at substantially reduced con-
Amajornev^'initiativeLsbeingundertakenla struction and maintenance costs. At the same
provideadditional rest areason Montana's pri- time, local tximmunities benefit as a result of
maryHighwaysystem.Additionalrestare-aswill tourusLs.stayinglongerintheirarea,aswellasin
improveserviceandimprovetlieimpressionwe Montana.
makeon touriststravelingourhighways. ThedepartmenthascontractedwithsL\cx)m-
The new initiative ccintemplates adding 20 munities to develop their city parks to also
restareasontheprimary'system. Eightofthese functionashighwayreststops. Bynextsummer,
willbenewstate-ownedfacilitiesandthreeare motoristswillseeprojectscompletedinChester.
planned to be jointly developed by MDT and Fort Belknap. Malta, Plenty-wood. Harlowlon
tlie US Forest Service. and Twin Bridges. Ifstate fimding for the Citv
Locations like the Thompson Lake area on ParkRest.-Vreaprognimisappro\edh\the53rd
US 2, US93 nearElmo, US87/89atArmington Legislature, MDTplaastocontinuenegotiations
Junction(imderconstaiction). L'S 191 nearBig v\ith several otherMontana cities.
Sk\'. and .\IT 2U0 near Winnet and Sidne>' are
Motorist Information Sign Program
exampleswherethedepartment isdeveloping
plansfortheconstniction ofnew rest areas. Crcw.s in.^ullcd (he lir.st ofa .scries ofcom-
To save money and maintenance costs, the mercial.servicemarkersattlieLockwocxlexiton
theeastsideofBillingsApril 27, 1992.
department hopes to create the remaining
Tile liright logos ofgas. food, lodging and
nine underthe "City Park RestArea" program.
MDT will contribute toward the cost of up- c-amping busines.ses infomi motoristswhereto
gradingcit>- parks wiiichare readily accessible exittliehigliwayandhowtofindservices. Mon-
tana joins .several other western states which
from one of Montana's primary highways. In
recently adopted the sign program.
return, cities would agree to maintain and po-
Tlie new signs are meant to relie\e traveler
lice the park and allow highway rest area-type
confusionandhelpdirecttraffictoIcx-albusiness
useofthefacilities.
TheCit>'ParkRestAreaprogrambenefitsthe zones. Vi'hile .some ofthe advertising space is
used bv national-brand franchi.ses, k)cal and
state by placing more rest areas along ourpri-
Montana Rest Areas
A majoriietfinitiii-
tiivisheiiifiitiuterlakeu
toproiiJe addiltonal
restareasonMontanas
primaryHighwaySys-
tem. Tu-entyrestareas
arecontemplatedonthe
primary-System Eightof
thesewillbe neirslate- 9m^ RestArea
ott'ned facilities and inplace
threewillhejointlyde-
«•
iviopedbyMDTandthe Planned
L'SForestSen'ice. «a? NewPnmary
Fortheothernine. SystemRestArea
MDTwillcontrihtiteto- ApprovedbyHighway
Commission
leardthecostofupgrad-
inganappropriatecity «rf CityParkRestArea
parkreadilyaccessible completedorundercontract
fromoneofMontanas
primaryhighways.
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