General Questions
Who is conducting this study?
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is conducting this study in collaboration with the FHWA, counties within the study area, stakeholders, resources agencies, and the public. Robert Peccia and Associates (RPA) is assisting MDT in completing the planning effort.
How can the public become involved in the study?
Members of the public are encouraged to participate in the planning process. Four sets of public informational meetings will be held as part of the planning study. Each will include in-person meetings at multiple locations within the study area and one virtual meeting. Display materials from the in-person meetings and recordings of the virtual meetings will be posted to the study website for those who are unable to attend the live events.
Public comments will be collected and considered throughout the planning process. To submit a comment, please contact one of the study contacts or submit a comment here. A formal public review and commenting period will be held once the draft Central Montana Regional Transportation Study has been drafted.
What does a "pre-NEPA/MEPA planning study" mean?
This transportation study is a planning-level assessment occurring before project-level activities and environmental compliance under the National and Montana Environmental Policy Acts (NEPA/MEPA). This process provides a link between early transportation planning and environmental compliance efforts and involves a planning–level evaluation of safety, operational, and environmental conditions to identify needs and constraints.
The National and Montana Environmental Policy Acts (NEPA/MEPA) require state and federal agencies to disclose impacts resulting from state and federal actions. In the context of transportation projects, the NEPA/MEPA process is intended to assist officials in making transportation decisions, while considering the human and natural environment and the need for a safe and efficient transportation network. The NEPA/MEPA process ensures that information about anticipated transportation project impacts is available to the public before decisions are made and executed.
This regional transportation study will identify potential environmental resource issues and consider multiple improvement options to address the needs and objectives within the defined study area. The planning process is distinct from a NEPA/MEPA environmental compliance document and from design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction phases for an individual project.
MDT can save time and money in subsequent project phases by facilitating early identification of constraints through coordination with local governments, resource agencies, and other stakeholders, screening of possible improvement options, and elimination of infeasible options. Additionally, results of the planning-level environmental review could be used to assist in later NEPA/MEPA environmental compliance phases for an individual project.
For additional information, please see MDT's planning study process.
What happens after the study is complete?
The regional transportation study will identify and evaluate potential improvement options within the study area. This early planning process is distinct from future environmental compliance, design, and construction phases of a project. If desired, MDT may advance identified improvements into design and construction phases as funding allows. Any future steps will be determined by MDT in conjunction with the appropriate local officials and permitting agencies within the regional transportation study area.
Access Management Questions
What is an access management plan?
Access management is the careful planning of the location, design and operations of driveways, median openings, traffic signals and street connections. The purpose of access management is to provide access to properties in a manner that preserves the safety and efficiency of the transportation system.
Access management ordinances help alleviate the conditions caused by unregulated curb cuts and commercial development along major corridors by providing guidelines for traffic signal spacing, location of driveways, median openings, and multimodal options. In the absence of access management, growing corridors can deteriorate functionally and aesthetically, with rising levels of intersection congestion and turning-movement crashes affecting social, economic, physical, and environmental quality.
For more information, please visit MDT’s Access Management Design Standards & Policy page.
When will construction start?
No construction will occur with the Central Montana Transportation Study Access Management Plan. The goal of the planning effort is to enhance the traffic safety and mobility of the planning area by managing and spacing approaches along the route. When finalized, the plan will help guide the approval of future requests for access along the highway and help landowners, developers, and local governments better understand how access management will affect the development of properties adjoining the road. Implementation will occur over time based on traffic and safety needs, available funding, and development/redevelopment opportunities.