Stakeholder engagement and public involvement are fundamental parts of corridor planning projects. Depending on the type of the corridor planning project, different levels of stakeholder engagement and/or public involvement could be needed to satisfy the needs of the project.

Stakeholder engagement and public involvement are two separate processes. It is important to draw the distinction between two, which is summarized and then explained below.

Stakeholder engagement involves:

Public involvement includes:

Stakeholder engagement

is the process of developing a list of key stakeholders including agencies, elected officials, business representatives, and private citizen groups, and engaging them throughout the project for feedback and information regarding the different issues associated with the study.

Stakeholder engagement is necessary for all three types of corridor planning projects (feasibility, route, and corridor) at various levels of commitment. Stakeholder engagement can be done on an individual basis with each individual group/stakeholder, as part of a Steering Committee, or both. The process varies, depending on the depth and detail of the study. Getting feedback from the stakeholder group is an important part of the corridor planning process and helps guide the direction of the planning study.

Public involvement

is the process of engaging citizens and fostering two-way communication between TxDOT and the general public. The purpose of public involvement is to incorporate the input, issues, and matters of the public into the decision-making process.

Public involvement and outreach are important elements for route study and feasibility study. The feedback TxDOT receives from these meetings helps make informed decisions about the project development. However, for corridor studies, public meetings can be optional, especially for high-level planning studies.

TxDOT has extensive resources on public involvement on its website and in TxDOT’s Environmental Handbook – Public Involvement manual regarding general guidelines and process for public involvement. Other resources also are available on TxDOT’s public involvement toolkit website.