Montana Department of Transportation

SIAP is also MDT's process for participating in Major Facility Siting Act Projects and non-MDT project related environmental processes.

The goals of this process include:

• Provide an avenue for private developers to request access to and from the state highway system.
• Facilitate a timely review of the developers request amongst a varied group of MDT Technical offices
• Identify reasonable accommodation of the developer's project needs
• Preserve the safety and efficiency of Montana's transportation system.
• Protect taxpayer investments by recovering costs from developers for their project's impacts to the transportation system.
• Ensure MDT permitting does not precede an environmental process (NEPA/ MEPA)

This funding can be used for programs in urban areas and projects on urban system routes such as: construction of new facilities, reconstruction, resurfacing, restoration, and rehabilitation of existing facilities, operational improvements, bicycle facilities, pedestrian walkways, and carpool projects and programs.

Priorities are established by the local governments within each urban area and final approval is by the Montana Transportation Commission. Statewide and Urban Planning staff assist locals in project selection, preparing commission agenda items for project approval, requesting programming of the preliminary engineering, and tracking project funding. Projects are developed and implemented by MDT Engineering and District staff.

Eligible Areas:
1) Anaconda 2) Belgrade 3) Billings	4) Bozeman 5) Butter 6) Great Falls	7) Havre 8) Helena 9) Kalispell	10) Laurel 11) Livingston 12) Lewistown	13) Miles City 14) Missoula 15) Whitefish

Metropolitan Planning
The metropolitan planning process establishes a cooperative, continuous, and comprehensive framework for making transportation investment decisions in metropolitan areas. Metropolitan areas are urban areas with population over 50,000. Montana has three including Billings, Great Falls and Missoula. Each is designated with Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs).

What is an MPO and it's Functions?

• Cooperative policy-making body required by Title 23 USC for areas with greater than 50,000 population, members include local government & transportation agency staff
• Receive federal Metropolitan Planning funds (PL) for carrying out transportation planning and programming in respective area
• Responsibilities identified in an agreement between the state and MPO
• Decisions flow from recommendations of a technical body (TAC) to the policy-making body (PCC)
• Develops & approves required documents including the unified planning work program (UPWP), long-range transportation plan, and transportation improvement program (TIP)

Urban and rural functional classification provides the basis by which Federal funding eligibility is established and Federal and State highway systems are designated. Type and use characteristics guide functional classification of all public roads and streets in the United States. Federal guidelines are used to review modifications to functional classification in cooperation with local officials. MDT or others can initiate the request for review. Once the review is completed, recommendations are made to the Transportation Commission. If approved, the route reclassification is submitted to FHWA for final approval.

Highway system designations relate to funding eligibility, design standards, speed limits and other issues such as regulations of outdoor advertising. The Interstate and National Highway Systems are designated by virtue of Federal laws and guidelines. The Primary, Secondary and Urban Systems are designated by virtue of state laws and Transportation Commission actions.

There are established processes for undertaking changes in systems designations. Local governments may request changes to the secondary and urban systems at any time significant changes in functional usage occur. System designation is based on functional classification. After receiving a request, MDT staff analyzes the route in accordance with MDT guidelines and Transportation Commission Policy to determine if the proposed change is justified. A recommendation to the Montana Transportation Commission is made.

1. CMAQ
   "Pure" CMAQ funds that come to Montana based on the Federal formula and are directed to Missoula, Montana's only moderate CO non-attainment area. Projects are prioritized through the MPO process.
2. Montana Air & Congestion Initiative (MACI) - Discretionary Program
   Projects using MACI - Discretionary funds are selected through a proposal process administered by the Transportation Planning Division of MDT. Projects are prioritized and selected amongst all eligible areas based on air quality benefits.
3. Montana Air & Congestion Initiative (MACI) - Guaranteed Program
   MACI-Guaranteed funds are distributed to Billings and Great Falls at a level equivalent to what Missoula receives each year in CMAQ funds. Projects are prioritized through the MPO planning process.

Vehicle volume data (number of vehicles on any given roadway section) are collected by machines at approximately 4000 locations across the state. Of these locations, 44 sites are equipped in such a way that enables the collection of vehicle volumes by type of vehicle (e.g. motorcycles, passenger cars, and various sizes of trucks). At 30 sites, the instruments are also able to automatically weigh vehicles. Depending on the type of site, traffic is monitored anywhere from 24 hours to continually throughout the year. The continual traffic counters are referred to as Automatic Traffic Recorders (ATRs) and a report of the traffic data collected at these 58 sites can be viewed online. Hard copies of this report are available for $10 each by calling 404.444.6114.

The TDCS also collects speed data at 41 sites and vehicle occupancy on a limited basis.

A hardcopy of a report entitled Traffic By Sections is published every year. It includes weighted traffic volumes by specific route segments on all routes of the National Highway, Primary, Secondary and Urban highway systems. Hard copies of this report are available for $50 each by calling 404.444.6122.

In cooperation with MDT's Motor Carrier Services Division, the TDCS was involved in the development of the State Truck Activity Reporting System (STARS). The objectives of this study were to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the MDT's truck weight enforcement activities, provide the MDT with access to improved truck-related data for use in pavement design and engineering and planning applications.

Incorporated by reference into the STIP are the Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs) from the Billings, Great Falls and Missoula metropolitan areas. A TIP contains information about current and future transportation improvement projects and are developed by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) in cooperation with area transit providers and state and local governments as part of a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive transportation planning process. In the event of emergencies affecting on-system, state owned roads and bridges, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides relief through the Emergency Relief (ER) Program. The ER program provides for highway facilities repair and restoration to pre-disaster conditions. Any funds received for ER do not reduce Montana's normal apportionment or obligation authority.

Eligibility and Planning Considerations Federal, State and County personnel are dispatched to the disaster area and are responsible for addressing all elements of repair as deemed necessary by the review team and approved by the FHWA. Eligible items include:

For a formal declaration that a disaster has occurred, the combined cost to restore all damaged areas must exceed $700,000. This must also be accompanied by a declaration from the Governor.

What is unique to the SFC Program is that these funds can be spent on all Federal-aid system roads and includes Secondary, Urban, and Off-system routes. It is MDT's policy to spend money from this fund only on preservation type work; this program does not usually fund capital improvements. Work undertaken with these funds is often cost effective preservation - type projects that increase the life of pavements. These projects can be very efficiently designed and delivered. A preservation project can take only six months to deliver versus a rehabilitation project, which might take from two to four years.

To accomplish our mission, we will:

• Develop and prepare the Highway Safety Plan;
• Establish priorities for highway safety programs funded under 23 U.S.C. 402, and other programs offered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration;
• Provide information and assistance to prospective aid recipients on program benefits, procedures for participation ad development of plans;
• Encourage and assist local units of government to improve their highway safety planning and administrative efforts;
• Regardless of the funding source, evaluate the implementation of those plans and programs funded under 23 U.S.C. 402;
• Coordinate the State Highway Safety Plan with other federally and non-federally supported programs relating to or affecting highway safety;
• Monitor the progress of activities and the expenditures contained in the State's approved Highway Safety Plan;
• Assure independent audits are performed over subgrantees as required by federal regulations; and
• Assess program performance through analysis of data relevant to highway safety planning.