MassDOT Publishes Cape Bridges Public Involvement Plan
The Cape Cod Bridges Program Team has released a 24-page public involvement plan in an effort to ensure a transparent and inclusive public process. The plan includes updates on outreach efforts, a projected program schedule and in-depth strategies for increased public involvement.
Phase one of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Cape Cod Bridges Program focused on collection data relative to environmental conditions and traffic patterns along with the initiation of its public involvement efforts. Three rounds of public engagement were held as part of phase one in June and November 2021 and November 2022. The program has entered phase two and has so far held one full round of public engagement in January 2023. A session that focused on the Bourne Bridge was held on Wednesday; a second meeting will be held next Wednesday, March 29, to focus on the Sagamore Bridge.
Phase two of the program includes the development of bridge and roadway options based on public feedback. In the next six months, MassDOT expects the program to enter phase three, where preferred options will be identified, environmental documentation will begin and design development will commence.
According to the text, the goal of the public involvement plan is to place public engagement at the program’s forefront. This will be achieved, it says, through effectively informing the public, ensuring equal public access and opportunity to engage, allowing the public to inform the process, adapt outreach strategies accordingly and being responsive.
The Cape Cod Bridges Program website is a landing page where program history, documents, public meeting recordings and more are available. One main form of communication for the program is the online commenting tool, which the public involvement plan explains is a web-based application designed to gather, evaluate and respond to public inquiries on the program. Using this tool, the program team is able to incorporate GIS to visualize feedback, track public sentiment, and pin and categorize selected locations and topics of concern.
A section of the plan is dedicated to environmental justice, Title VI and other demographics, which addresses the environmental burdens placed on low-income persons, minority communities, and nonnative English speakers. The plan further outlines the state’s definitions for environmental justice populations and identifies one area southwest of the Sagamore Bridge area that is designated as an environmental justice area for being low-income and primarily composed of minorities.
Further outreach efforts outlined in the plan include hosting pop-up community events, hosting an open house, conducting public polls and surveys, engaging with faith-based organizations and increasing coordination with environmental justice-focused groups.
MassDOT said that the public involvement plan is nearing approval from both the Federal Highway Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers, a required step as part of the National Environmental Policy Act process.
The public involvement plan can be viewed on the Cape Bridges website at www.mass.gov/cape-bridges under program documents.