Case Studies Database

Bryan Park Interchange – Richmond, Virginia

The Virginia Department of Transportation convened a public involvement and consensus building process after releasing a controversial proposal to build a fly-over on I-95 that would encroach on Bryan Park's Azalea Gardens. The proposal aroused such concern among area residents that VDOT dropped the fly-over proposal and entered into broader discussions with the community about the Bryan Park area in general.

Virginia

State Agency

1997

Colorado's Shortgrass Prairie Initiative

Facing continued development, diminishing habitat, and an increasing number of federally listed species, state agencies and non-profit organizations in Colorado began to explore ways to alleviate the listing of species under the Endangered Species Act by conserving large portions of shortgrass prairie habitat. At the same time, CDOT (which counts nearly 90,000 acres of shortgrass prairie within its statewide right-of-way), along with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were exploring regulatory streamlining practices that would focus resources on results.

Colorado

State Agency

2000

Florida’s Strategic Intermodal System

A new feature of the 2020 Florida Transportation Plan, adopted in 2000 following an 18-month stakeholder consensus process, facilitated by the Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium, was development of a Statewide Strategic Intermodal System (SIS). Spearheaded by the Florida Department of Transportation, in cooperation with other partners and stakeholders, the system represents a shift in the way the state approaches its transportation system. SIS will be composed of facilities and services of statewide and regional significance for aviation, highway, intermodal rail, seaport, space and transit systems, and accommodations for bicycles and pedestrians.

Florida

State Agency

2002

Florida Department of Transportation Gains Consensus on State Transportation Plan

Federal law mandated that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) update its long-range transportation plan. Because the update required coordination of multiple regulatory agencies, diverse interests, and a host of issues, FDOT chose to implement a facilitated consensus process. The Department was careful to include key stakeholders and continually solicited public input. The result was an updated plan that was fully supported by stakeholders and approval by the federal government.

Florida

State Agency

1999

Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Revitalization (Portland, OR)

In the mid-1990s, despite decades of inconsistent public investment, viable commercial uses along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard—one of Portland’s major throughways—were still intermittent and slow to develop. Many people connected with the district believed that a lack of adequate planning was deterring redevelopment and causing businesses to fail. To address the problem, the governor directed the state’s Community Solutions Team (made up of five state agency directors) to provide assistance implementing a local vision for King Boulevard.

Oregon

Governor

1996

Mediating a Highway Dispute in Florida

The Orlando Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization employed the Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium to help facilitate the resolution of an intractable dispute surrounding a proposed highway project. Stakeholders were subsequently convened and they arrived at consensus on recommendations for the project. The MPO adopted these recommendations in their long-range transportation plan.

Florida

Metropolitan Planning Organization

1994-1995

Negotiating Transportation Policy Rules in Oregon

Faced with increasing opposition to the state's access management decisions, the legislature asked the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to draft new regulations. Because traditional rulemaking procedures failed to produce new legislation, ODOT implemented a negotiated rulemaking (reg-neg) process. Because all key interests were involved in the process, agreement was reached and the rules adopted.

Oregon

State Agency

1999-2000

Partnering Program Saves Millions for Arizona Department of Transportation

In an effort to break the cycle of lawsuits and badly delayed project completions, the Arizona Department of Transportation initiated a policy to put "partnering" in place for all construction projects. The partnering process emphasizes collaborative teamwork, relationship building, and cooperative mechanisms for issue resolution. Parterning has saved ADOT millions of dollars since its introduction.

Arizona

State Agency

1991-2002

Sacramento Transportation and Air Quality Collaborative

The rapidly growing metropolitan area of Sacramento County is expected to grow by a million people over the next 20 years. Such a growth rate raises questions about how the community can maintain mobility, enhance air quality, sustain economic prosperity, and preserve the Sacramento region as an attractive place to live and work. To address concerns about transportation and air quality associated with this growth, county officials initiated the “Sacramento Transportation & Air Quality Collaborative,” an ongoing, multi-phase project facilitated by the California Center for Collaborative Policy.

California

County government

2000 to present

Utah 3500 South Partnering Agreement

The 3500 South Corridor Project involved a transportation study and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate transportation needs for 8.5 miles of state highway outside a large suburb of Salt Lake City. The project is a collaborative effort to identify multi-modal alternatives and involves the Utah Department of Transportation, West Valley City, Wasatch Front Regional Council, and the Utah Transit Authority. It includes public and agency coordination, data collection, developing and evaluating alternatives, environmental analysis, EIS preparation, and concept-level design II.

Utah

State Agency

2001-2002

Washington-Oregon Strategic Plan for I-5 Corridor

In response to concerns about growing congestion on Interstate Highway 5, the only continuous Interstate on the West Coast, a bi-state leadership committee recommended that the Portland/Vancouver region initiate a public process to develop a plan for the corridor. The “I-5 Partnership Planning Process” brought together Washington and Oregon leaders to develop a strategic plan for highways, transit, and heavy rail, and to determine how to manage the transportation and land use system to protect investments in the corridor.

Washington-Oregon

Governors

2001