Section 4: Environmental Steps
Anchor: #i1057004Public Involvement
Public participation is an integral part of the transportation process and helps to ensure that decisions are made in consideration of public needs and preferences. Early and continuous public involvement brings diverse viewpoints and values into the decision-making process. This process enables agencies to make better informed decisions through collaborative efforts and builds mutual understanding and trust between the agencies and the public they serve. Successful public participation is a continuous process, consisting of a series of activities and actions to both inform the public and stakeholders and to obtain input from them. Depending on the level of public interest in a bridge, ENV may produce a Public Involvement Plan for the project.
More information on public involvement can be found on TxDOT ENV’s website.
Anchor: #i1057109SHPO Coordination
The Environmental Affairs Division, along with the Bridge Division project manager as appropriate, consults with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) on proposed alternatives and whether a finding of an adverse effect is applicable under Section 106. Section 106 compliance is performed under the terms of TxDOT’s programmatic agreement, which allows for both formal and informal consultation with the SHPO. Section 106 consultations should be completed before seeking concurrence for Section 4(f) findings.