5.5.1 Project Planning

For projects outside of the UTP, environmental responsibilities begin with public involvement (see
Section 5.7
). Public involvement provides valuable input and insights to inform the transportation planning process. Public involvement allows TxDOT to educate the public about the transportation planning process, agency roles and responsibilities, system performance, and emerging transportation technology considerations. It also gives the public the opportunity to weigh in on transportation issues, comment on draft plan components, and better understand the tradeoffs between different investment strategies. In addition to providing important input to transportation planning, the public involvement effort satisfies several State and federal planning requirements.
This engagement is typically achieved through several methods including:
  • Technical working groups;
  • Newspaper ads;
  • Email campaigns;
  • Social media;
  • Surveys;
  • Open houses and stakeholder workshops; and
  • Feedback from MPOs and LG officials.
5.5.1.1 Environmental Activities
Many of the studies and planning activities discussed in
Chapter 2
involve the coordination of District planning and environmental staff. To perform feasibility, corridor, and/or route studies, major environmental impacts and concerns must be identified to determine the viability of the project.
See
Table 2-1
for allowable development activities that can be performed on projects outside of the UTP. Preliminary environmental review activities can be performed including:
  • Identifying major environmental concerns (floodplains, historical constraints, socioeconomic factors, etc.);
  • Development of high-level environmental constraints map; and
  • Identification of affected stakeholders.