Challenge

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) Road Design Manual (RDM) was last updated in the 1990s. Since that time, design methodologies and standards have changed. The updated RDM needed to effectively communicate engineering principles and emphasize that design is more than just applying a standard from a table – it’s an understanding of tradeoffs, and how design, safety, and operations interact.

Solution

Kittelson and MDT worked collaboratively to update the RDM with current national research and MDT design practices. Starting with a new table of contents, Kittelson prepared white papers on key road design topics for consideration and developed an annotated outline for the new manual. Kittelson led workshops with MDT staff across engineering disciplines to gather input and collaboratively generate new material that reflects current design research, updated project development processes, and best practices for road design, such as performance-based design. Developing the new manual involved incorporating a national perspective on performance-based design and other state-of-the-art elements of the design process, as well as understanding MDT’s organizational structure and the interaction of its bureaus, departments and sections to better coordinate and streamline the design approach.