Montana Department of Highways, Engineering Division records
Scope and Contents
This collection is a subgroup under the Montana Department of Transportations records, RS 492. The Engineering Division oversees the Bridge Bureau, Construction Engineering Services (CES) Bureau, the Highways Bureau, Materials Bureau, Right of Way Bureau, among others, and formerly oversaw the Planning and Research Bureau (Bureau now defunct) and Preconstruction Bureau (Bureau now defunct). To see the other Department of Transportation records, visit the primary finding aid, RS 492.
Documents in this collection reflect the day-to-day functions of the Engineering Division, and include: staff meeting minutes; correspondence between division heads and administrators, and other MDT departments; and reports on the feasibility of project routes, alternate routes for projects, and economic analyses of project routes. Also included in this collection is a subject file that discusses the State Laboratory Building, and reports by the Project Control Unit (in 1979, a unit of the Engineering Division). One linear foot of maps and building plans are included in this collection. Some of the more significant items in this series include plans of the State Highway Department Building.
Dates
- Creation: 1955-1989
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 was headed by an administrator. The Centralized Services Division, Engineering Division, Motor Pool Division, Gross Vehicle Weight Division, and the Maintenance Division were furthered sub-divided into bureaus, headed by Chiefs. In 1991, the Department of Highways became the Department of Transportation.
The Department of Highways Engineering Division was historically responsible for project planning and oversight, including, but not limited to: reporting on project options, preparing feasibility reports, and completing reconnaissance studies. Currently, the Highways and Engineering Division prepares projects for bidding and coordinates highway construction through two primary functions: Preconstruction and Construction. Specific Preconstruction functions are administered by the Bridge, Consultant Design, Engineering Information Services, Environmental Services, Highways, Right-of-Way, and Traffic and Safety bureaus in addition to five District Construction Offices in Billings, Butte, Great Falls, Glendive, and Missoula for budget purposes. Specific Construction functions are administered by the Contract Plans, Construction Engineering Services, Construction Administration Services, and Materials.
Extent
1.4 linear feet
Abstract
This collection is comprised of records documenting the work of the Engineering Division of the Department of Highways, and includes general correspondence (1969-1987) of the Division Administrator and Assistant Administrator; a file (1956-1965) on the division's occupancy of offices in the State Laboratory Building; Division staff meeting minutes (1981-1985, 1988-1989), monthly construction reports (1979), and engineering reports (1958-1977).
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by series.
Physical Location
41:5-3; Tubes Sub-basement
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 Highways, Engineering Division records, 1955-1989
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Rachel Lilley
- Date
- 2013
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Based On Dacs (Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition)
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- 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