"Public involvement in project development is the process implemented to obtain public input and participation in the development of Mn/DOT construction projects from the stages of scoping to construction and operation. The key to effective public involvement is to involve people and then to incorporate their input into project decisions."

Public Involvement in Mn/DOT's Project Development Process

Public involvement in project development is the process implemented to obtain public input and participation in the development of Mn/DOT construction projects from the stages of scoping to construction and operation. The key to effective public involvement is to involve people and then to incorporate their input into project decisions.

The project development process actually begins in the system planning phase (described in Chapter 3) with the identification of system deficiencies. System, in this instance, refers to Minnesota's trunk highways and system deficiencies may be related to safety, traffic capacity, highway structure, economic development, or other problems. They may be identified by Mn/DOT district or central office personnel, affected regions, counties, cities, and/or townships as well as individual citizens.

Deficiencies may range from a request to fix a particularly bad "pothole" to a request for a new freeway to serve a developing area. A wide variety of state and federal program categories have evolved to deal with these diverse kinds of improvement needs.