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MDT launches statewide functional classification review; two-week initial comment window to follow kickoff
Summary
Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) opened a statewide review of highway functional classification that will include two public commenting rounds for local agencies and aims to have recommendations to the Montana Transportation Commission by December; TPCC members agreed to coordinate local comments through the MPO.
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) has started a statewide review of highway functional classification and urban route designations and will open an initial two-week commenting period immediately after a kickoff meeting, MDT staff told TPCC.
MDT staff described functional classification as the federal method of categorizing roads by their primary role—mobility (arterials), mixed function (collectors) and access (local roads)—and said the state has not completed a full review since the early 1990s. MDT plans two public comment opportunities: an initial two-week window after the kickoff and a second comment round after reviewers present draft changes. MDT also plans optional, site-specific meetings with urban areas or other jurisdictions before seeking local concurrence and FHWA approval.
MDT warned the review could affect eligibility for the secondary road program and the urban highway system; a reclassification can change whether a road is eligible for particular programs, and mileage can be a factor in some allocation formulas. MDT said impacts on gas-tax allocation were expected to be small and that FEMA funding paths can change when a roadway’s functional classification moves above or below certain thresholds. FHWA provides final approval of the new federal functional classification network.
TPCC members urged coordination of local comments through the MPO, and MPO staff offered to collect and submit coordinated comments for urban-area partners and neighboring counties. MDT staff said reviewers will consider locally provided data—traffic counts, known traffic generators and local land-use context—when classifications are ambiguous and will launch an interactive story map for the review that will accept geolocated comments.
MDT aims to get recommendations to the Montana Transportation Commission by December and said the schedule is tight; local jurisdictions were encouraged to prepare data and, if useful, request MDT staff visits to discuss draft recommendations.
