December 7, 2023
Innovation of the Month: Virtual Public Involvement
Standardizing the way virtual public involvement (VPI) is conducted can provide significant benefits to agencies. As described in a recently released VPI Documentaries video, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) institutionalized VPI and realized a significant cost savings by moving the public engagement administration in-house, establishing a VPI Committee, and training internal staff.
MassDOT requires a number of steps for staff to become VPI certified
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for virtual meetings significantly increased. MassDOT quickly realized it needed to offer staff training on virtual platforms to keep public involvement and overall project delivery timelines on track. The agency recruited staff “producers”, who were interested in hosting VPI events, and developed a 14-hour training program to guide them. MassDOT developed two levels of trainings: the 100 series to learn basic legal requirements and accessibility tools, and the 200 series, which focuses on learning the virtual meeting platforms. The learning hub includes self-directed and hands-on activities such as shadowing more experienced staff. Once staff completes all training requirements and managers determine they are ready to host events on their own, they earn a certification which is added to their employment record.
MassDOT also developed a VPI Committee to assist in developing the VPI trainings. The committee contains representatives from MassDOT’s legal, human resources, and IT departments. The committee acts as a quasi-board to address engagement approaches to ensure MassDOT’s training and tools are consistent across modes.
By training its own staff to conduct VPI (advanced planning, outreach and engagement), MassDOT is saving an estimate of $150,000 per meeting or project compared to the cost of contracting with consultants. They are also effectively identifying target populations more easily with access to data internal to the agency.
To learn more about VPI, please contact Mack Frost, FHWA Office of Project Development & Environmental Review, or Robert Washington, FHWA Office of Planning, Stewardship & Oversight.
Introducing Young Workers to Construction
Demand for qualified highway construction workers across the Nation continues to rise, while the lack of an available workforce to help maintain safe roadways remains a significant challenge.
To help narrow the workforce gap, the FHWA Office of Human Environment has teamed up with Youth Service and Conservation Corps (Corps) to share opportunities in the highway construction industry. The Corps represents over 150 Youth Service and Conservation organizations and engages individuals aged 16 to 25 in projects that offer work experience, education, training, and support services. Projects available to Corps participants include trail work, restoration, visitor amenities, hydrology, silviculture, recreation, campground management, fuels reduction work, marketing communications, and activities related to range, fire, recreation, wilderness, and wildlife management. Continued collaboration between FHWA and the Corps will help build skills in these young people that can be used in future highway construction careers. Read short stories about interesting career paths of finalists for the 2023 Corpsmember of the Year Award.
To learn more about how your State can recruit students and youth into Corps programs that can launch future highway construction careers, visit the FHWA website on youth workforce development resources. This site includes resources for incorporating these programs into your workforce development programs, funding information, and example State-level programs.
To learn more about the Strategic Workforce Development EDC initiative, please contact Chrisy Currier, FHWA Office of Infrastructure.
Discover Home-Grown Innovations from Around the Country
Are you interested in homegrown innovations being used by your peers in other parts of the country? Check out the National STIC Network Showcase, a component of the EDC-7 Virtual Summit. Registering for the event allows you to access all the content through February 2024. The Showcase features several innovations around pavements.
Learn about the New Jersey Transportation Planning Authority's Virtual Public Involvement strategies, which use a broad range of tools to increase public participation in long-range planning. These strategies include approaches to promote engagement from difficult-to-reach populations and those that are historically less likely to be involved in the transportation planning process.
Celebrate the ingenuity of your peers and read about these innovations—developed and deployed in-house at transportation agencies nationwide. Additionally, we invite you to watch the one-hour presentations on-demand that feature many of these and other innovations.
Stay Up to Date on the EDC Innovations That Interest You Most
EDC teams are always on the move! If you blink, you could miss out on important webinars, case studies, tools, videos, and more. To never miss information for the EDC innovations that interest you most, visit the subscription page and select the topics you’d like to receive updates on directly from the teams that coordinate them.New Innovator Now Available!
The November/December issue of Innovator is now available, accessible from your computer, tablet, or mobile phone to optimize your reading experience!
In this issue:
- Remote Locations and Extreme Conditions: Alaska's UAS Program Offers Solutions
- Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Transportation Planning
- Giving First Responders the Green Light
- EDC Legacy—Expanding the Reach of Public Engagement
- And more...
Comments? Questions? We'd love your feedback! Drop us a line and let us know what you think.
Read past issues and sign up to receive Innovator by email here, or text "FHWA Innovation" to 468311 to get Innovator on your smartphone.
Applications Open for AID Demonstration Grants
Are you looking to deploy an innovation on a highway project and need funding to offset the costs? The Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration provides incentive funds to eligible entities to accelerate the implementation and adoption of innovation in highway transportation. AID Demonstration funds can be used in any phase of a highway transportation project between project planning and project delivery, including planning, finance, operation, structures, materials, pavements, environment, and construction. The 2023-2026 AID Demonstration will make up to $10 million in grants in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 and $12.5 million FYs 2024 through FY 2026. Learn about AID Demonstration and the 127 grants and more than $95.7 million dollars that FHWA has awarded since its launch in 2014. Join the upcoming 2023 AID Demonstration Information Session on November 20, 2023 (3:00 PM ET - 4:30 PM ET).
Stay Up to Date on the EDC Innovations That Interest You Most
EDC teams are always on the move! If you blink, you could miss out on important webinars, case studies, tools, videos, and more. To never miss information for the EDC innovations that interest you most, visit the subscription page and select the topics you’d like to receive updates on directly from the teams that coordinate them.
Recent bulletins:
Local Aid Support 11/27/23
Strategic Workforce Development 11/17/23
Strategic Workforce Development 11/16/23
Nighttime Visibility 11/21/23
Upcoming Events
Overview of Lighting Handbook
December 12, 2023, 1:00-2:30pm ET Register
Value Capture Strategies Toolkit for Practitioners
December 20, 2023, 1:00-3:00pm ET Register
Innovation in Project Delivery, From Hard Hats to Safety Helmets
January 29, 2024, 3:30-4:30pm ET Register
About EDC
Every Day Counts, a state-based initiative of the Federal Highway Administration's Center for Accelerating Innovation, works with state, local and private sector partners to encourage the adoption of proven technologies and innovations to shorten and enhance project delivery.
EDC News is published weekly by the FHWA Center for Accelerating Innovation.
Notice: The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers‘ names appear in this presentation only because they are considered essential to the objective of the presentation. They are included for informational purposes only and are not intended to reflect a preference, approval, or endorsement of any one product or entity.
Disclaimer: The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this document only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document. They are included for informational purposes only and are not intended to reflect a preference, approval, or endorsement of any one product or entity.
Except for the statutes and regulations cited, the contents of this document do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the States or the public in any way. This document is intended only to provide information regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.
Recommended Citation:
U.S Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration
EDC News; December 7, 2023
Washington, DC
