An extensive outreach program should continue during construction in order to address stakeholder interest and to communicate any changes in the project.

Implementation

Maintaining Communication Through Construction

Many public involvement processes conclude at the end of the alternative selection process. This ignores the continuing interest many stakeholders have in the details of final design and construction. It also ignores importance to maintaining agency credibility for communicating any changes in the project that occur during these post-planning activities. Staff from some of the pilot states indicate this is a painful lesson learned - that hard work to achieve credibility and buy-in can be erased by ignoring stakeholder concerns or important project activities after a decision is reached.

Any number of events can have an unforeseen effect on the project or individuals. Changes to the plan, schedule delays, changes to construction detours, etc., all present risks if not communicated to stakeholders.

An extension of existing newsletters and websites can be used to update stakeholders, and occasional meetings with existing advisory groups and elected officials can be scheduled at key milestones (Exhibit D-4 (CSD 148)). A more extensive outreach program may be needed during construction to provide traveler information about revised routing and adjacent property owner/renter information about planned construction activities.