FHWA’s New Virtual Public Involvement study on Integrating Virtual Approaches to NEPA Process

FHWA has released a Virtual Public Involvement Practices in NEPA report summarizing eight case studies that explored potential approaches to virtual public involvement (VPI) in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The case studies showcase projects that held public hearings, including comment periods during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The following case studies present various approaches to VPI across the United States and provide information on successful VPI approaches and challenges, outreach to underserved populations, benefits, lessons learned, and next steps.

Iowa: Black Hawk Bridge
Kansas: South Lawrence Trafficway
Maryland: Chesapeake Bay Crossing
Michigan: Interstate (I)-375
North Carolina: Corridor K
Oregon: Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge
South Carolina: Interstate (I)-526 Low Country Corridor
Virginia: Interstate (I)-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) 

Two upcoming webinars will feature presenters from State DOTs that incorporated virtual public involvement (VPI) in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The presentations will showcase projects that held public hearings, including comment periods between March 2020 and fall 2021 when in-person gatherings were restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The case studies also highlight project history, VPI approaches, outreach to underserved populations, benefits, challenges, lessons learned, and next steps. Registration is open for the two VPI webinars:

• Feb 27 at 2:00-3:30pm ET: North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, and Multnomah County (Oregon) presenting
• Feb 28 at 1:00-2:30pm ET: Iowa, Michigan, and Kansas presenting

FHWA is committed to providing equal access to this meeting for all participants. If you need alternative formats or services because of a disability, please contact Peter Otness. Please make any accommodation requests at least 5 business days in advance of the first webinar.

Public involvement is a critical component of the transportation decision making and NEPA processes. State departments of transportation (DOTs) and local public agencies are offering virtual options to enhance engagement during the transportation decision making process. The findings of these case studies provided an opportunity for State DOTs to experiment with virtual strategies during public hearings and expand their use during public meetings.

Learn more about Virtual Public Involvement by connecting to the VPI Toolkit, case studies, resources and webinar.  For more information contact Robert Washington, (202) 366-4651.