Who's your "DOT"

[ghYHZ]

Here in Nova Scotia it's "TIR"  Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.......and they've got lots of roads and bridges to renew!

Newfoundland: Transportation and Works

Prince Edward Island: also TIR

New Brunswick: Transportation and Infrastructure

[mcdonaat]

Louisiana: the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD)

[AsphaltPlanet]

Ontario: MTO, Ministry of Transportation of Ontario

[PHLBOS]

Current homestate (PA): PennDOT

Previous homestate (MA): MassDPW ('Department of Public Works' through early 90s), MassHighway (90s-mid 2000s(?)), MassDOT (current)

[bulldog1979]

Here in Michigan, it's MDOT, the Michigan Department of Transportation. Organized in 1905 as the Michigan State Highway Department (MSHD), its name changed to the Michigan Department of State Highways in the 1960s before all other transportation functions were added on August 23, 1973, creating the Michigan Department of State Highways and Transportation. The current name dates back to 1978 when it was simplified.

[NE2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Transportation
End thread.

[roadman]

Current homestate (PA): PennDOT

Previous homestate (MA): MassDPW ('Department of Public Works' through early 90s), MassHighway (90s-mid 2000s(?)), MassDOT (current)

MassDPW became MassHighway in 1991.  MassHighway became MassDOT - Highway Division in November of 2009.

[cpzilliacus]

On roads that I drive somewhat frequently:

• Maryland - State Highway Administration (SHA, a modal administration of the Maryland DOT)
• Maryland - Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA, the state toll road and toll crossing agency)
• Virginia - Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT, still called "the highway department" by at least a few VDOT old-timers)
• Virginia - Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA, which administers the Dulles Toll Road)
• Virginia - TRIP II (owns the concession for the Dulles Greenway)
• District of Columbia - District Department of Transportation (DDOT)
• Around the Washington, D.C. area, there's also the National Park Service, which owns and maintains many lane-miles of parkways

[Takumi]

The Richmond Metropolitan Authority (RMA) runs the Downtown Expressway (VA 195/VA 146).

[agentsteel53]

California Department of Public Works, Division of Highways became California Department of Transportation (aka CalTrans) in 1973.

[mjb2002]

For road construction, regulatory and warning signs: SCDOT

For guide signs: Barnwell County Department of Public Works

[KEK Inc.]

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)

It's called WashDOT.

[SP Cook]

West Virginia reorganized its government back in 1989, placing all functions under one of six functional departments, with previous departments downgraded to "divisions".  Highways in WV is thus under the DOT, which is made up of the Division of Highways, along with agencies covering the other methods of transportation (Aeronautics Commission, Public Port Authority, Rail Authority, and Public Transit Divison) along with the DMV.  For budget purposes only the autonomus Parkways Authority (which answers to no one) and the DMV hearings office (DUI judges) also fall into that department. 

However, with only one exception, the Commissioner of Highways (the head of the Division of Highways and the title of the head of the pre-DOT Department of Highways) has always also been the Secretary of Transportation, and the other forms of transportation divisions are just made up of people with extra duties out of the DOH, while the DMV Commissioner runs his own division with only nominal oversight from DOT.

In practical every day talk, people still, however, call the Division the  "Department of Highways", or the "State Road" (as "John works for the State Road").

[Alps]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Transportation
End thread.

Um, people, he said end thread.

[J N Winkler]

A question:  why do people write CalTrans?

*  The current Caltrans logo (used on the website, employee hard hats, etc.) features a lowercase t with the left part of the crosspiece nestled within the c.

*  In the long-gone days when Caltrans put the NASA worm-like script version of its name on signs (it now appears solely on plan sheet collars), it always used the lowercase t.  (The version used on the plan sheet collar still has the lowercase t.)

*  When Caltrans references itself by the short version of its name in press releases, manuals, reports, environmental impact statements, and various other publications, it is always with the lowercase t.

Interestingly enough, California is fairly unusual in that its state DOT is not a cabinet-level agency.  Caltrans is under the Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency, whose secretary does sit in the governor's cabinet.  The position of Caltrans Director is still a gubernatorial appointment and a long-standing complaint (since the 1970's, at least) is that it is one of the last top-level positions an incoming governor fills.

[myosh_tino]

A question:  why do people write CalTrans?

My theory... California Department of Transportation condenses down to CalTrans. I use both (CalTrans and Caltrans) interchangeably.  Why?  I have no idea. 

[national highway 1]

Here in New South Wales, in the beginning from about 1930 to 1989, most main roads and highways were the responsibility of the Department of Main Roads (DMR). In early 1989 the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) was formed, taking the responsiblities of issuing licenses, signage installation and road construction projects. In November 2011 after a major reshuffling and shake up of government departments after the election of a new Liberal government, the RTA merged with NSW Maritime to become Roads and Maritime Services (RMS). Planning and coordination function are now redirected to Transport for NSW. The RTA term is still used by everyday people today, even though it has been officially abolished.

[Beltway]

Acronyms for the Virginia state highway and transportation department. VDH from 1927 to 1974. Railroad, aviation and public transportation was added in 1974, and the Department became VDH&T. The Department became VDOT in 1986.

VDH - Virginia Department of Highways
VDH&T - Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation
VDOT - Virginia Department of Transportation

[huskeroadgeek]

As many people know, Nebraska is the only state that still uses "Department of Roads" instead of something with the word "transportation" in it. There have been efforts to change it to "Department of Transportation"(the most recent being several years ago), but the efforts fail because many people, particularly those in rural areas think that changing it to "transportation" will indicate a de-emphasis of roads in favor of other forms of transportation.

[bugo]

XDOT.  eXtreem Department of Transportation.

[Brandon]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Transportation
End thread.

Um, people, he said end thread.

Um, whatever, this is more fun.

Illinois, is of course, IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation), formerly Illinois Department of Public Works and Buildings (IDPWB) (pre-1972).  Of course, by choosing "IDOT", they've left themselves open to a statewide joke of calling them "IDiOT", or claiming they can't spell "idiot" properly.

Then, we have CDOT (Chicago Department of Transportation) for the City of Chicago.  They have their own unique signal style and signage when compared to IDOT.  CDOT is responsible for Lake Shore Drive (US-41).

But, one of the biggest road builders in the state, and responsible for building most of the Chicago Expressway System, is the Cook County Highway Department (CCHD).  Without them, there is no Kennedy, Edens, Ryan, Calumet (Ford), Kingery, or Stevenson Expressways.  When you add that together with ISTHA (Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, formerly Illinois State Toll Highway Commission), IDOT built very little of the expressway and tollway system.  All IDOT (and IDPWB) built was I-55 from Gardner to the Tri-State Twy, The Elgin-O'Hare Expy, I-355 from Army Trail Road to I-290, IL-53 (and I-290) from there north to Lake-Cook Road, the US-20 Bypass of Elgin, and the Amstutz Expy in Waukegan.

[sp_redelectric]

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), It's called WashDOT.

I wonder if it's a regional thing, but for some reason the traffic reporters in Portland always call it "Wizz-dot" by trying to pronounce the WS.

As for Oregon, we have ODOT, the Oregon Department of Transportation.  The history of ODOT can be found here:

http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/doc/recmgmt/sched/special/state/overview/20080007odotadov.pdf

And here:

http://cms.oregon.gov/ODOT/CS/pages/bss/historycenter.aspx

[roadfro]

The Nevada Department of Transportation, or NDOT.

[KEK Inc.]

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), It's called WashDOT.

I wonder if it's a regional thing, but for some reason the traffic reporters in Portland always call it "Wizz-dot" by trying to pronounce the WS.

As for Oregon, we have ODOT, the Oregon Department of Transportation.  The history of ODOT can be found here:

http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/doc/recmgmt/sched/special/state/overview/20080007odotadov.pdf

And here:

http://cms.oregon.gov/ODOT/CS/pages/bss/historycenter.aspx

I think engineers and commentators for WSDOT's YouTube channel trumps news reporters in another state.   

http://www.youtube.com/user/wsdot?feature=results_main

Also, news reporters in Seattle call it 'WashDOT'.  Living in Vancouver, I can't say I've ever heard 'WissDOT', even listening to local (Portland) news/traffic...   

[Dr Frankenstein]

Ministère des transports du Québec (commonly refered to as MTQ or Transports Québec).

Decades ago, it was the Ministère de la voirie du Québec (MVQ) and Office des autoroutes du Québec (OAQ).