Every 20 years, the Montana Department of Transportation updates its transportation policy plan, a document with the lofty goal of trying to predict and plan how Montanans will travel two decades from now.
In early June, MDT released the draft update of TranPlanMT and invited the public to review and comment on the document through July 12. Director Mike Tooley said the document confirms something that planners, elected officials and regular citizens have long known: Montana’s transportation needs are growing and it’s unclear where the money will come from to pay for them.
“Transportation needs continue to outpace funding,” Tooley said. “Now is a critical time for us, as Montanans, to make certain the path forward helps us achieve our goals.”
But the document also offers a window into how everyday Montanans travel, the state of our infrastructure and how it’s maintained.
To view the transportation plan, visit mdt.mt.gov/tranplan. To comment online, visit mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml, email [email protected], or send remarks in writing to: Sarah Nicolai, DOWL, 1300 Cedar Street, Helena, MT 59601.
