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BOB WASHINGTON: Hello, and welcome to VPI Conversations—a video series investigating the virtual
public involvement practices that state and local agencies use for transportation planning
and project development. VPI Conversations is part of the Federal Highway Administration's
virtual public involvement program—an Every Day Counts initiative. My name is Bob Washington,
and I'm with the Federal Highway Office of Project Development and Environmental Review,
and today I'll be speaking to Kari Martin. She is the University Region Planner at the Michigan
DOT. Today we'll talk about using online surveys and virtual meetings during project development,
as well as institutionalizing VPI. Thank you for joining us today, Kari.
KARI MARTIN: You're very welcome. Thanks for having me. BOB: We're glad to have you.
Tell us about Michigan Department of Transportation and your role there.
KARI: I am the MDOT University Region Planner. The University Region is made
up of nine counties in south central Michigan. We maintain manage and plan for transportation
infrastructure in those counties. BOB: Kari, I understand Michigan Department of Transportation
is piloting virtual public involvement techniques for some of its projects and that for the Ann
Arbor Interstate 94 operation study, you're using online surveys. Can you describe the survey and
tell us the purpose and result of it?
KARI: Yeah, that is correct. The Michigan Department of Transportation
underwent a pilot project with the... through the Every Day Counts Five program through FHWA
and piloted several different types of projects around the state of Michigan. The I-94 Feasibility
Study in Ann Arbor is along a freeway network and so we wanted to capture different types of public
involvement and different types of stakeholders along that corridor. Having it be a freeway network
we did use a survey tool, Metroquest, back in the fall of 2019 along with and in combination with
in-person public involvement. We were very pleasantly surprised by the results of the survey.
We received 1500 respondents. We were able to get the survey out through our social media
networks such as Facebook and Twitter. 421 written comments and we just got excellent feedback that
we would not normally get from an in-person meeting. BOB: Thank you for sharing that. Now there
were some operational improvements. Can you tell us a little bit about funding received for that?
KARI: The part of the survey was looking at the operations of the I-94 corridor, which is a
very narrow section of I-94 with narrow shoulders, narrow median, deficient interchange operations, and
with increasing traffic we wanted to look at what we might be able to do from a spot improvement.
Just because we don't have the funding, as all other states are probably having
funding challenges, we don't have the funding to improve the entire corridor at the same time.
So we were able through the survey and through the study to be able to identify three kind of
individual locations that we could improve through smaller operational improvements.
Through the use of the survey tool and not having to go get the information kind
of in real time and getting it right away we were able to apply for our operational template funding
in advance of the study being completed, which helped us to receive operational funding for
one of those portions of the project, or of the study, in addition to conducting an online survey.
BOB: Michigan Department of Transportation also held a live virtual public meeting about
a diverging diamond interchange on I-94. How did that meeting go?
KARI: That meeting went great. We planned a Microsoft Teams live event and had about 100 participants.
We were able to show the
presentation of the diverging diamond interchange, plus our future construction project that we have
going and a future project in 2021 that we have going as well. We were also able to get
some information out about Michigan's long-range plan and connect that with what our Bureau of
Transportation Planning is doing statewide, so it was a it was a very successful event.
BOB: And what role did visualizations play in the meeting?
KARI: We were able to through our consultant
show the diverging diamond interchange and how it operates. It's somewhat of a new
alternative within the state of Michigan. We do have a couple other diverging diamond interchanges,
but it was it's nice to be able to show the public what we are doing visually, so that they can ask
questions, and get... we can give them feedback on how the interchange is actually going to
operate in the future.
BOB: I understand that Michigan Department of Transportation is not only using
virtual public involvement tools during the planning and project development process, but
also considering how to institutionalize virtual public involvement. Can you share with us the work
that Michigan Department of Transportation is currently doing to institutionalize
virtual public involvement by creating guidance and reference documents?
KARI: We are developing guidance as a state and we also are developing a matrix of different
techniques and tools that the department
has available to us that we can share with our local offices, our transportation service centers.
I have actually as a region, as the lead region planner, have been meeting within the last
few weeks with our transportation service centers identifying projects that have virtual
public involvement needs within the next six months to a year and putting them into a
spreadsheet so that we can all discuss what the best approaches for each of those projects.
BOB: So virtual public involvement is really on the table as far as a tool and strategy that you're using
and even considering in the plans and projects that are forthcoming.
KARI: We have an interdisciplinary team as a part of MDOT, which is from all the regions and statewide
that looks at ADA-compliance, that looks at Title VI, and environmental justice,
and we are learning lessons every day from our
virtual public involvement and our in-person public meetings as well on how to improve
that outreach to those groups. BOB: And what are some lessons learned
you would like to share with those just starting out?
KARI: Some of the lessons learned I would say are that you really
have to understand all the aspects of the tool or technique before you start using it,
and any pitfalls. You think through some of those things before you do the event. Another
lesson learned was the amount of time that it takes to prepare and set up the information,
especially the survey itself. Metroquest, once once it's out, online, it is
very difficult to make changes to it. So didn't really plan for the time that was needed for that
in advance, and that was one thing that you need to keep in mind when you are using these tools.
That you plan for that extra time. BOB: Are there any additional
tips that you would offer the listening
audience if they're considering implementing some virtual public involvement strategies.
KARI: Just to make sure that you are keeping in mind providing accommodations for people that might
have the special needs for either English speaking ability or large print materials.
There needs to be a balance of, you know, the online virtual world plus the, you know, one-on-one.
Someone having the ability to make a phone call to get the materials
in their hand. BOB: Thank you again to Kari Martin
of Michigan DOT for speaking with us today. If you
want to watch more VPI Conversations and learn more about virtual public involvement strategies,
please visit the website on the screen or click the link in the description, and if you want to
learn more about Michigan DOT's use of VPI during its long-range transportation plan update, please
watch our companion video VPI Conversations with MDOT's Brad Sharlow. Thanks for joining us.
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