Engage/ Outreach Activities

MDOT's Public & Stakeholder Participation Plan (PSPP) describes how public engagement will take place, how the public can provide ideas for making the plan better, and ways to ask questions about the plan. Public and stakeholder engagement techniques outlined in the plan have been customized for use in establishing a transportation vision for Michigan and developing the MM 2045 SLRTP.

Priority Setting & Plan Development

The first round of public and stakeholder engagement will focus on gathering input to develop a long-range vision and on setting priorities for transportation in Michigan. This process will begin in January 2019 and will be completed in April 2019. The second round of public and stakeholder engagement will (1) seek public comment on initial findings identified during visioning, (2) obtain public and stakeholder input to inform the plan and (3) solicit comments on the draft MM 2045 SLRTP. Many of the methods used during visioning will be carried over to plan development. Plan development is expected to begin in May 2019 and conclude in July 2021.

Outreach Activities

Attitudes & Perceptions (A&P) Survey: A&P Surveys are done by a professional polling firm and include phone calls, mailed questionnaires, and online forms.
MetroQuest: An interactive, online survey tool called MetroQuest will be used to provide general information about the SLRTP, to identify the public's transportation priorities, to show the tradeoffs that occur when choosing one priority over another, and to gather general public input.
Telephone Town Hall Meetings: Telephone town halls provide members of the public the opportunity to take part in a public forum without having to leave their homes. Phone calls are made to a set number of potential participants and can join a conference call to learn about a certain topic, ask questions, and offer comments.
Request a Virtual Meeting: Presentations to groups and organizations may be arranged with MDOT online.
Social Media: Social media posts & advertisements will be used to direct users to engagement opportunities such as the MetroQuest site, website, and online surveys.

Proposed outreach activities will be tailored to meet the needs of varied public interests from different cultures. This involves reaching underserved populations, including Americans with Disability Act (ADA) populations, Limited English Proficiency (LEP) groups, minorities, Native Americans, the elderly and Low-income populations. These groups can offer a more complete point-of-view about how to improve the transportation system, expertise from their own life experiences and a wider range of cultural perspectives. Helping one another to fulfill our shared obligation to influence decision making is tied to our responsibilities as citizens. Effective public involvement requires collaborative input from varied stakeholders and we welcome partners who are looking to partner with us as we work to engage all Michigan residents.