MDT's Maintenance Program employs more than 750 employees who together maintain Montana's 24,500 lane miles of roadway using 4,000+ pieces of equipment located in more than 150 facilities statewide.
In addition to the staff in the Helena headquarters office, the Maintenance Division has staff at ten area offices throughout Montana.
The Maintenance Program provides for repairs and preventive maintenance of state highways and the various signs and structures within the highway right-of-way. Winter plowing and sanding, and year-round repairs to the state highway system are the responsibility of our staff.
Maintenance Program employees throughout the state are working hard to deliver the services that Montana's traveling public have come to depend on. From Eureka to Broadus, from Lima to Plentywood, and all points in between, MDT Maintenance is there serving you with pride.
The Maintenance Program includes the Equipment, Maintenance and Motor Pool Programs.
Equipment Program
The Equipment Program is responsible for all aspects of the purchase, fabrication, maintenance and disposal of a fleet of equipment and vehicles for use within the Department of Transportation.
The Equipment Bureau provides, maintains and administers all vehicles and equipment required by the Department of Transportation. The Bureau's goal is to provide economical equipment that is multi-functional, safe and accomplishes the required tasks. To that end, Equipment Bureau personnel are assigned to administrative, financial, purchasing and technical services. The Equipment Bureau is also responsible for administering the Motor Pool program.
The Equipment Bureau is required to establish policy for fleet administration, budgets, purchasing and allocation of vehicles and equipment to field operations.
In addition to the staff in the Helena headquarters office, the Equipment Program has eleven shops located throughout Montana.
Fabrication Shop
The Helena fabrication shop is responsible for receiving all newly purchased vehicles and equipment and is mainly responsible for the a fabrication of winter maintenance equipment and specialized equipment.
The Helena Shop has become famous for its effective fabrication program. The Helena Shop fabricates the snowplow trucks used by maintenance for the winter maintenance seasons. The process is very technical and is the most cost-effective process due to the quality of the skilled employees in the shop. View the various fabrication phases and equipment used to complete a tandem axle snowplow truck.
Motor Pool
The Motor Pool function is to provide cost efficient and reliable vehicles on a daily and extended use basis to state employees conducting official business. The Motor Pool offers the following types of units to meet the users needs:
The State Motor Pool is located at 2701 Prospect Avenue (directly in front of the Department of Transportation's headquarters office).
Class 02 – Small Utilities
Class 04 – Large Utilities
Class 05 – Hybrid Sedans
Class 06A – Compact (4-Passengers)
Class 06B – Mid-Size (5-Passengers)
Class 11 – Large Pickups
Class 12 – Vans
| Motor Pool Contacts | |
|---|---|
| From 6am - 5pm | |
| Dispatch | 444-2705 |
| Mike Solem | 444-2682 |
| Joe Fisher | 444-2683 |
| After 5pm or emergencies | |
| Michael Solem | 438-2972 |
Communications Bureau
The Helena Communications Bureau coordinates all engineering, installation, and maintenance for land mobile communication systems. This includes all radios, mobiles, and base stations.
The Bureau also oversees the installation and maintenance of the WEX program sites providing fuel to many state Motor Pool and Equipment Bureau vehicles.
In addition, Communications provides support for the installation and maintenance of Local Area Networks (LAN) for the Department's Field offices, including all aspects of communications (phone, radio, and computer systems).
Finally, the Communications Bureau oversees all maintenance of the Departments extensive statewide Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) and traffics signals in the Glendive District and Kalispell Division.
This work is accomplished out of nine shops around the state and has fourteen employees working in the Bureau.
Facilities Bureau
The Facilities Bureau administers and monitors MDT's long-range building and facility repair and maintenance program. The Bureau prioritizes facility requests from the Area offices and coordinates long-range building through the Department of Administration.
The Bureau Chief assists the field in reviewing and evaluating MDT's sites and facilities.
Disaster and Emergency Services
Disasters and lesser emergencies may result from natural causes or from accidental or deliberate acts of man. Regardless of the cause, MDT must be ready to respond because the maintenance of and continued operation of the transportation infrastructure are critical to evacuation of citizens as well as providing access to disaster sites by emergency services.
The Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator acts as the primary point of contact for the Department and is the liaison with the State Disaster and Emergency Services Operations Center. The coordinator initiates Disaster Incident Command Processes, provides advise to the department and state on emergency operations, advises on disaster policies, procedures and capabilities, reports status of disasters/emergencies, and coordinates recovery activities with state, federal and local entities.