129.5 Public Meetings
Glossary Definition Public Meeting: A public gathering for the express purpose of informing and soliciting input from interested individuals regarding transportation issues. There are no formal requirements and can be tailored to meet department or community needs.
A public meeting does not have the same requirements as a public hearing. Public meetings do not require any formal presentation and are tailored to meet department or community needs. There are different types of public meetings that MoDOT holds including Pre-Location Study Meetings, Location Study Meetings and Design Meetings.
The MoDOT Project Manager (PM) is responsible for identifying the level of public involvement needed for a project. This includes scheduling and coordinating public involvement meetings in collaboration with the district communications (CR) manager and in cooperation with the Central Office Design Division for all projects, including those in which consultants are used. Adequate and appropriate MoDOT staff should be available to answer questions from the public during the meeting. Normally this includes the District Engineer, Project Manager, Area Engineer, CR manager, civil rights staff, and the project designer(s). Other staff, such as Environmental and Historic Preservation staff or Right of Way staff, should be included on a project-by-project basis. The Design Division is consulted when it is necessary for specialists from the Division to attend the meeting. If consultant staff are involved in the preparation of the project, appropriate members of the consultant team should also attend.
Public meetings can range from large informational presentations to small groups or one-on-one meetings with individuals. The “open-house” style is in an easy-to-navigate space where the public can come and go at their convenience. It allows members of the public to discreetly ask questions and talk with project representatives about their needs, concerns, and ideas. Visual aids, displays, and handouts are often provided as well as a station where public comments can be submitted for consideration. Displays in general should have the project title at the top of each board (i.e. Route H Bridge Replacement, Lincoln County). Open house meetings can be effective for introducing a proposed project to the public and stimulating an exchange of ideas. Small group meetings are useful for gaining information from community groups, underrepresented groups, neighborhood groups and advisory committees. Additionally, having the ability to utilize workshops, where large groups are organized into small discussion groups, serves to maximize the participation of all attendees while discouraging domination by a few groups or individuals. These small group meetings are not generally advertised to the general public; however, a summary of informal meetings shall be included in the project documentation in the RES, eProjects and the Administrative Record (if applicable).
129.5.1 Advertisement for Public Meeting or the Opportunity for a Public Meeting
Notices concerning public meetings or the opportunity for a public meeting will be published in local newspapers, on social media and on the district’s website at a minimum. The PM in cooperation with the CR manager drafts the notice to be published for the meeting or opportunity for the meeting. Notices should contain the project description, time, date, ADA and/or LEP accommodations and location of the meeting, as well as where project information can be viewed. The notice should contain language such as, “if assistance is needed in another language, please contact the (contact listed in the notice) by (date)”, or something more generic like “We are committed to providing equal access to this event for all participants. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact (contact listed in the notice) by (date).” The outcome of the LEP analysis should lead to some conclusions regarding potential concentrations of LEP populations. The greater the number or proportion of LEP persons from a particular language group in the project study area, the more likely language services will be needed. If one or more of the following LEP thresholds is applicable, determine the type and degree of language assistance services that would reach the most LEP populations:
- 1,000 persons or more who speak a language other than English also speak English “less than very well”
- 5% or more of the population who speak a language other than English also speak English “less than very well”
- Interviews with community leaders indicate the need to accommodate certain languages other than English.
If the project area is known to speak a language other than English and the project impacts that population, the district will document how accommodations were made such as disseminating the public notice in that language as well. The district will need to review information found in the RES, Socioeconomic resource section, on LEP. If that information is not provided in the RES, linked here are detailed instructions for obtaining LEP information: LEP data instructions. For additional assistance on obtaining LEP data, please contact MoDOT’s Environmental Section or MoDOT’s Business Development and Compliance (EC) Division. The PM can find the latest language contracts at Interpreter and Translation Contracts If an opportunity is published and the district receives no requests for a meeting, they document the opportunity for public meeting notice and that no requests were received.
The information on the notice should also be available on the district’s website. Information from public meetings can be made available online as virtual public meetings through the district’s website. (Refer to EPG 129.3).
If the district believes other methods of advertising a public meeting would help increase public attendance, these options should be explored. Options may include direct patron mailings, flyers posted in high-traffic public areas, neighborhood newsletters, signs erected in the project area, or other means.
If the “open house” format is to be utilized, this procedure is explained in the notice. The notice of public meeting specifies that maps, drawings, appropriate environmental documents, other pertinent information developed by the department and written views received as a result of coordination with other agencies or groups, will be available for public inspection (CFR 771.111). A copy of the notice shall be kept in eProjects or on CR Division sharepoint site.
129.5.2 Procedures for Public Meetings
Public meetings are to be held at a place and time generally convenient for persons affected by the proposed undertaking and should be close to the project area. When selecting the time and location of the meeting, special consideration will be given to making the setting comfortable and accessible for all, including minority and disadvantaged populations (see EPG 129.1 Environmental Justice, ADA, LEP and Title VI). MoDOT’s PM and CR manager is responsible for determining the information to be provided and style of the meeting. The PM will coordinate with other appropriate staff including the MoDOT environmental representative, when necessary to ensure a productive and informative meeting.
The following are informational types of items that might be included in the meeting materials:
- The proposed project’s purpose and need.
- Describe the proposed project’s conformity with the goals and objectives of the area.
- Describe the problem to be addressed, why MoDOT is the appropriate agency to address them, and the reasonable process MoDOT will follow or has followed to come to a solution.
- Communicate the potential project impacts to the community and the efforts that would be made to minimize and/or mitigate those impacts (23 CFR 771.111(2)(v)).
- Include information such as crash data, structural deficiencies, and capacity problems.
- Public requests may be cited as justification for the project.
It is the Project Manager’s responsibility to document everything (e.g. notices, comments, how comments are being addressed, commitments developed as a result of comments, all PI material), and then provide them to MoDOT Environmental for all Classes of Actions, including PCEs.
129.5.3 Types of Public Meetings
Essentially, MoDOT manages all types of public meetings similarly by providing a public meeting notice, conducting an open-house-style format, and obtaining comments from the public. The Commission directs MoDOT to conduct public involvement prior to Commission approval of Location and Design for significant projects. (Refer to Commission policy 010-10-01-HWYS.)
129.5.3.1 Pre-location Study Meeting
A pre-location study meeting is a type of public meeting that may be necessary for an EA or EIS environmental classification, prior to the preparation of a location study (LS)/environmental report (EPG 126 Location Study and Alternatives Analysis).
The purposes of a pre-location study meeting are to describe the general nature of the proposed project to the public, and to obtain comments concerning the project's purpose and need, the range of alternatives and their impact to local communities and the environment of the area. The pre-location study meeting should help to determine the details of community values, goals and objectives and other areas of special interest of which the local citizens may be aware including history, archaeology, geology, biology, and public lands in the study area. The draft Purpose and Need, as accepted by FHWA and the Design Division, is furnished at the meeting for consideration and comment by the public to help define the Purpose and Need under 23 USC 139. Comments and information received at the meeting will be used to refine or expand the draft Purpose and Need prior to its inclusion as a section of the Location Study Report.
Prior to the pre-location study meeting date, preliminary scoping, and screening and early constraint identification for wetlands, cultural resources, public use areas, etc., must be completed. Preliminary scoping may include scoping meetings for complex projects or written agency correspondence for less complex projects as determined by the Design Division and FHWA. The information from the screening and constraint identification is presented to the public at this meeting as it can limit potential for alternatives.
Displays available at the pre-location study meeting should be general in nature showing the entire study area with no definite solutions identified. Typically, one display should demonstrate all environmental and cultural constraints identified except the archaeological sites, threatened and endangered species, and caves. These are considered sensitive information and are not revealed to the public. Other displays might include information from the Purpose and Need concerning crash rates, and capacity and/or deficiencies of the existing facility. To assist the public in understanding the process, a display may be provided showing the general process for completing a location study/environmental report with the pre-location study meeting stage highlighted. For projects where relocation of a route might be an option, it is helpful to provide a blank display on which the public can draw suggested alignments. The public can also identify potential environmental impacts such as family cemeteries, underground storage tanks, etc. This display and all meeting materials must be included in the environmental documentation (administrative record, eProjects, RES) as well as a summary, and any written comments and responses provided.
Comments and recommendations from the meeting will be used by the district to refine the purpose and need for the project, develop the range of reasonable alternatives, and develop the location study/environmental report.
129.5.3.2 Location Public Meeting
A location public meeting is held to provide the opportunity for effective participation by interested persons in discussing specific location features, including the social, economic, environmental and other effects of all the reasonable project alternatives. These meetings afford the department an opportunity to receive information from sources that will be of value in choosing a preferred location. Location public meetings are typically part of the EA and EIS process but could be held for a CE2 or PCE as well. It may be acceptable to hold a combined location and design public meeting for CE2 projects. A summary of the meeting is submitted to the state design engineer for location approval of a PCE and CE2 projects in the form of a Conceptual Study Report. For location approval of EA and EIS processes, Commission approval is needed. When a location public meeting is to be held for an EA or EIS, it is typically held after FHWA approves the EA or Draft EIS for public review. In the case of an EIS project, once the draft EIS is signed, a notice of availability (NOA) is published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) once they receive the approved draft EIS in Washington D.C. The district may then advertise for the location public meeting. For a project with an environmental classification of CE2, a location public meeting may be held after the conceptual plan is approved.
129.5.3.3 Design Public Meeting
A design public meeting is offered for projects where input from the public is needed on the design of a proposed project, regardless of environmental classification. The design public meeting should be considered by the PM for projects that substantially change, temporarily or permanently, the function of the roadway or may have an impact on the use of the roadway. A meeting will be considered, even if not "required", if the impact on the traveling public, adjoining property owners and businesses in the area is considered to be substantial. Additional consideration should be given for large projects, those that have many parcels or heavy public interest. Additionally, a design public meeting should be considered anytime a project impacts alignment (vertical or horizontal), impacts the roadway typical section, changes permanent traffic control infrastructure (stop control to signal control), minor right of way impacts, impacts other modes of transportation, road closures or detours (impacts to users are significant), potential environmental impacts, significant public interest in the project, controversial projects, major project that don’t require public hearings, cost share or cost apportionment projects in which we have other partners in delivering a project, projects that will be long in duration (more than one season to complete), etc. One principal indicator for when a design public meeting should be considered would be on projects that require a preliminary plan.
This is left to the discretion of the District Engineer, in consultation with the PM. A meeting may be desirable to advise local officials, EMS, school districts (bus routes), motor carriers (OWOD permits), adjacent property owners and other users of the details of the project. For instance, bridge replacement projects that close the road during construction should have a public meeting or opportunity for a public meeting to inform the public of the closure. If a public meeting is not held, reasons should be well-documented in eProjects. If the projects involves Noise, Section 106, Section 4(f) or Section 6(f) lands, the Design Public Meeting can contribute to the requirements of those issues. (See EPG 129.7 Noise Wall Public Meeting and Voting, EPG 129.8 Section 4(f) Lands and EPG 129.9 Section 106 and Tribal Consultation). A “virtual” design public meeting can be substituted for a design public meeting.
These criteria are considered a minimum level for which a public meeting or opportunity for a meeting is required. Authority to conduct the design public meeting is given with the District Engineer's approval of the preliminary plans. At design public meetings, the preliminary plans and other exhibits from the location study are displayed. Pertinent information about the location alternatives studied and reasons for selecting the proposed location are discussed. Details of the effect of the proposed design on individual properties are discussed along with information about the design alternatives studied.
A meeting will be considered, even if not "required", if the impact on the traveling public, adjoining property owners and businesses in the area is considered to be substantial. Additional consideration should be given for large projects, those that have many parcels or heavy public interest. This is left to the discretion of the District Engineer, in consultation with the PM. A meeting may be desirable to advise local officials, EMS, school districts (bus routes), motor carriers (OWOD permits), adjacent property owners and other users of the details of the project. A summary of the meeting is submitted to the state design engineer for design approval and housed in eProjects.