Community Involvement
Public Involvement Cells
To ensure that everyone along the nearly 200-mile length of the study corridor had the opportunity to learn about and comment on the process and the progress of the study, the N.C. Department of Transportation created five public involvement cells.
The public involvement program was used to involve key stakeholders in the study process to provide insight into the wants and needs of the communities throughout the corridor, and disperse information about the study to the public.
Stakeholder Involvement
Key stakeholders may have included active citizens, elected officials, organizations and various agencies interested in shaping the future vision of the corridor and who may be impacted by the study recommendations.
Stakeholders participated in and learned about the study process through stakeholder interviews, the Corridor Development Team (introduced in more detail below), and outreach presentations.
Stakeholders Interviews
Four stakeholder interviews for each public involvement cell were conducted (a total of 20 stakeholder interviews) during a six-week period during January and February 2004 as one of the first outreach activities. The stakeholder interviews proved to be a valuable opportunity to discuss goals and objectives of the study and served to gather critical information on the potential concerns, opinions and issues of the groups represented by the stakeholders.
Corridor Development Team (CDT)
To ensure that the U.S. 64-N.C. 49 Corridor Study recommendations considered community visions and needs, the NCDOT assembled a Corridor Development Team (CDT) to oversee the study. This multi-agency group represented a comprehensive knowledge of the regional study area. Organizations represented included Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), NCDOT, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs) for the communities within the study area.
CDT members aided the study team in meeting the study objectives through their willingness to:
Review and comment on regional transportation objectives and priorities
Use their knowledge of the study area to help generate viable alternatives
Act as technical "sounding board" for potential strategies to be evaluated
Assist in developing measures and methodologies for testing strategies
Review and comment on the results of the evaluations
Assist in framing issues, alternatives and next steps for stakeholders
Foster regional cooperation
Raise and discuss issues of concern
Help to anticipate community reactions
Reflect the range of affected interests
Help the study team establish a working relationship with communities affected by the project