Montana Department of Transportation, Preconstruction Bureau records
Scope and Contents
This collection is a sub-subgroup under the Montana Department of Transportations records, RS 492. The Preconstruction Bureau formerly operated under the DOT Engineering Division. The Bureau is now defunct. To see the other Department of Transportation records, visit the primary finding aid, RS 492.
This collection consists primarily of project files collected in connection to proposed highway projects around Montana, including correspondence relating to the projects, reports and studies, and transcripts of the public hearings held to discuss the proposed projects, files of the Bureau Chief Steve Kologi during the late 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Also included are files of the Environmental Landscape Unit as well as maps associated with the Libby Dam Project / Relocation of Montana Highway 37.
Dates
- Creation: 1954-1998
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Montana Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Biographical / Historical
The Montana State Highway Commission was created in 1913 by the state Legislative Assembly. The original Commission was composed of three members. In 1917 new legislation altered the organization of the Commission by authorizing the appointment of twelve members according to geographic highway districts. Membership was changed again in 1921 to three members appointed by the Governor and in 1941 to five members, also appointed by the Governor. In 1971 the Commission was renamed the Montana Department of Highways, created by Chapter 7 of the Executive Reorganization Act of 1971 and implemented by executive order of the Governor on December 16, 1971. The Department of Highways took over all but the advisory functions of the State Highway Commission.
By 1972, the Department consisted of seven divisions: the Legal Division, Personnel Division, Centralized Services Division, Engineering Division, Motor Pool Division, Gross Vehicle Weight Division, and the Maintenance Division. Each division is headed by an administrator. The Centralized Services Division, Engineering Division, Motor Pool Division, Gross Vehicle Weight Division, and the Maintenance Division are furthered sub-divided into bureaus, headed by Chiefs. In 1991, the Department of Highways became the Department of Transportation.
At present, the Preconstruction Program is under the umbrella of the Highways and Engineering Division, and administers the Highways Bureau, Bridge Bureau, Right of Way Bureau, Consultant Design Bureau, Traffic and Safety Bureau, Environmental Services Bureau, and the Engineering Information Management Section. The Preconstruction Program involves planning and developing the details of construction projects. This includes determining the location and design features, conducting public hearings and working with local officials, acquiring property for right-of-way and processing contracts up to the time they are awarded to private contractors. The functions of the Preconstruction Bureau did not change when the Department of Highways became the Department of Transportation.
Extent
9.8 linear feet
Abstract
Records of the Montana Department of Highways, and Montana Department of Transportation, Preconstruction Bureau. This collection consists of the records of public hearings for various roads projects, files of Bureau Chief Steve Kologi, and the work of the Preconstruction Bureau’s Environmental Landscape Unit. Also included are the Libby Dam Project Files.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by series.
Physical Location
40:1-4
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Acquisition information available upon request
Processing Information
In 2024, the various collections of the Montana Department of Transportation were integrated under one collection identifier, RS 492, in order to help facilitate access, reduce redundancy in the MTHS catalog, and to follow best archival practices.
Collections from Montana Department of Transportation's various Divisions and Bureaus that were previously treated as separate entities are now integrated into this collection, RS 492. Rather than reprocessing over 280 linear feet of Transportation materials, MTHS staff decided to keep the past arrangement of those collections/finding aids, and provide access to them via links in this Master finding aid. This decision has allowed the MTHS archival staff to maintain intellectual control over the collection, while removing the need to reprocess it. It also keeps State Agency finding aids at manageable sizes.
- Title
- Guide to the Montana Department of Transportation, Preconstruction Bureau records 1954-1998
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Rachel Lilley
- Date
- 2012
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Based On Dacs (Describing Archives: A Content Standard)
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)
Repository Details
Part of the Montana Historical Society, Research Center Archives Repository
225 North Roberts
PO Box 201201
Helena MT 59620-1201 United States
406-444-2681
406-444-2696 (Fax)
mhslibrary@mt.gov