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Public and Partner Involvement in Transportation Planning

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has a strong public involvement component in all phases of transportation planning.  ODOT invites the public and partner groups to participate in long-range planning, in making decisions about where to invest transportation dollars and in identifying project impacts during project planning and construction. The Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC), has a Public Involvement Policy and guidance on how to involve the public, other governments and partner groups in transportation decision-making. The policy calls for early, open, continuous and effective public participation in planning and project decision making processes.

 
 

Public involvement in ODOT’s long-range planning usually begins with interviewing ODOT staff and partner groups to identify issues, opportunities, and challenges to be addressed in the plan. The partner groups typically include representatives of other state agencies, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO), and local governments, as well as business and advocacy groups. The planning process includes the development of a Steering Committee as well as policy committees addressing climate and transportation choices. These committees include Federal, state and local government representatives, Tribal Governments, transportation providers, businesses and advocacy groups. During the plan development, these committees, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and Area Commissions on Transportation (ACTs) also provide feedback where appropriate. 

In general, a Public Involvement Plan must describe how the public will be engaged in the plan development and must propose a schedule and methods to use to accomplish public involvement in the plan development. The plan must include:
  • Public involvement goals for the project.
  • Identification of key populations and partner groups for the plan.
  • ODOT and Consultant roles and responsibilities for public involvement.
  • Strategy for accomplishing inclusive public outreach, including Title VI/environmental justice community outreach and reporting.
  • Description of methods used to reach various partners.
  • Recommendations for engaging key existing committees.
  • Schedule for public involvement activities that is consistent with the project's work plan.​


The following list provides federal resources for public involvement in transportation planning.

Federal Resources

23 Code of Federal Regulations 450

​ 23 Code of Federal Regulations 450 requires that statewide transportation planning include the development of long-range statewide transportation plan and the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Regulation 450.210 Interested parties, public involvement, and consultation outlines federal requirements for the state's public involvement policy. The state's public involvement process is required to include the regulations outlines.

Title VI

Environmental Justice

Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMA)

Other Guidance

Training

The following list provides state resources for public involvement in transportation planning.

State Resources

The Oregon Transportation Commission establishes the following policy and core implementation actions to assist in meeting state and federal public participation requirements for statewide planning processes and the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) development.

Oregon's land use planning system adopts begins with a set of 19 Statewide Land Use Planning Goals. These goals address the local process of land use planning, direct the state's resource preservation, give guidance for urban development, and offer direction to cities and counties who need to plan for coastal assets. The outcome of the goals is as unique as each city and county of Oregon – each local government develops a comprehensive plan that addresses the resources, constraints and opportunities specific to the place.

ODOT Title VI Guidance

For further guidance related to Title VI, please refer to ODOT's Civil Rights page.

Oregon Transportation Plan

The Oregon Transportation Plan (OTP) defines the long-range transportation policy through the year 2050 for the movement of people and goods across the state. In this plan section, objective SP.5 provides long range policy for public involvement.

Objective SP.5: Conduct decision making and public involvement in a transparent and open manner.
 
Policy SP.5.1: Making decisions through transparent process that are inclusive, engaging, and supported by data analysis.

  • Strategy SP.5.1.1: Promote open data policies that enhance transparency and public trust.
  • Strategy Sp.5.1.2: Use both demographic analysis and partner input to aid decision making.
  • Strategy SP.5.1.3: Systematically collect up-to-date transportation data that can reasonably and appropriately acquired and managed for data-driven evaluation of programs and investments and support decision making.
  • Strategy SP.5.1.4: Provide data and project information to partners and the public in a usable and easily accessible way

 Policy SP.5.2: Define an open decision-making process based on accountability, transparency, and communication, and make clear how public input influences decision making.

  • Strategy SP.5.2.1: For each decision-making process, define the appropriate level of public involvement (e.g., inform, consult, involve, collaborate, or empower).
  • Strategy SP.5.2.2: Build capacity for public engagement within communities by building relationships with and investing in community-based organizations.
  • Strategy SP.5.2.3: Offer compensation to participants in public engagement processes to add the perspectives and voices of those who are otherwise unable to participate.​