Basic Philosophy
The basic philosophy of this approach is to assign responsibility and accountability for projects to individuals. 
The basic concept therefore is one of project management with a corresponding project manager. This provides for one person being responsible for all aspects of a project from inception through authorization, construction, and final acceptance.
General Framework
The general framework revolves around the FHWA level of oversight required for the project, which is normally tied to the Federal-aid Highway
system. There are three basic systems that are defined by law. These are the Interstate System, the Non-Interstate NHS, and the
Non-NHS. Further delineation for the Interstate system has been made reflected in the type of work being accomplished, i.e. new
or reconstruction verses 3R type of activities. Our level of oversight for Federal-aid projects is:
- New or Reconstructed projects on the Interstate system over $1.0 million - Full Federal Oversight
- Non-Interstate NHS projects and 3R type projects on the Interstate - The Mn/DOT acts on behalf of FHWA for all design/award/construction activities.
This is covered under the Minnesota Acceptance Plan (MAP).
- Non-NHS projects - The Mn/DOT utilizes their own design standards and procedures. This is covered under the Minnesota Transportation Plan (MTP)
A Program Manager is assigned the responsibility of all activities associated with project development relative to each of those systems. Additionally,
Program Managers that have responsibility for certain types of projects based either on funding or on other factors relative
to the type of project being developed are be responsible for projects in their program area. For example, the Safety Program Manager is responsible for projects using dedicated Safety funds.
Technical experts are utilized as needed to provide input into the project development process at appropriate times. In some cases, this requires that there is a formal sign-off by the technical expert before approval can be given, at other times this is a more informal consultation. In either case, it is the responsibility of the program manager to coordinate and set schedules for those reviews.
Links
Division Office Project Development Program Manager
