Part V
Public Outreach
July 2013
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS
Federal Legislation emphasizes the need to provide citizens with an opportunity to
comment on proposed regional and State TIPs. The Commonwealth’s STIP process
is an adjunct to the regions’ specific outreach processes, but also follows the
Commonwealth’s commitment to transparency and civic engagement in government.
MassDOT encourages its constituents to stay informed on all its activities, including
but not limited to the STIP, through the use of various social media tools including
Twitter (www.twitter.com/massdot); YouTube (www.youtube/youmovemass.com) ;
the Commonwealth’s transportation blog (www.transportation.blog.state.ma.us);
Flickr (www.flickr.com/photos); and RSS feeds.
Since the STIP is a compilation of all projects - both state and regional - the public
outreach program in each region includes the STIP by reference. The
Commonwealth requests that all RPAs and RTAs place the notice of the STIP’s
availability on their respective web sites, newsletters, and other public
communications. Additionally, the Commonwealth places notice of the availability of
the draft State TIP in local papers.
For the 2014-2017 STIP, the formal public comment period extends from July 31,
2013 through August 30, 2013. The comments received can be viewed in Appendix I
of this document. Individual regions will make hard copies of the draft project
listings in the STIP available for public comment and review during their regular
business hours during this period. The STIP will also be posted online at each MPO
website and at
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/planning/Main/StatewidePlans/StateTransportation
ImprovementProgram.aspx
Legal notices, announcing the availability of the document on the Commonwealth’s
web site, were faxed to the following newspapers: Cape Cod Times, the Martha’s
Vineyard Times, the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror, the Fitchburg Sentinel and
Enterprise, the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, the Lowell Sun, the Lawrence
Eagle-Tribune, the Brockton Enterprise, the New Bedford Standard Times, the Boston
Globe, the Berkshire Eagle, the Greenfield Recorder, and the Springfield Republican.
Selected samples of the STIP’s outreach to be included in the Final STIP at the close
of the public comment period will consist of examples such as a copy of the web
page for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation; the web pages from the
regional planning agencies; the web page from the a regional transit authority; legal
advertisement placed in newspapers; and other examples of public notice.
July 2013
Public Outreach – Part V
page 1
Notice of Availability
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announces the availability of the draft project
listings for the proposed State Transportation Improvement Program for Federal Fiscal Years
2014 to 2017. These draft listings are a compilation of roadway, bridge, intermodal, and transit
projects as developed by the Commonwealth’s ten Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs)
and the three non-MPOs. They are available for review at
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/planning/Main/StatewidePlans/StateTransportationImprovement
Program.aspx, and during regular business hours at Metropolitan Area Planning Council, 60
Temple Place, Boston, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 3910,
Boston, and the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, 3 Pond Road, Gloucester. The comment
period will begin on July 31, 2013 and end on August 30, 2013. Comments can be mailed to
STIP Coordinator, MassDOT, Office of Transportation Planning, 10 Park Plaza Room 4150,
Boston, MA 02116 by fax to 857.368.0639 or by e-mail to sheri.warrington@state.ma.us.