The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is in the process of developing a new state long-range transportation plan, known as Michigan Mobility 2045, establishing a vision and priorities for transportation for 25 years. The department is seeking the opinions of the public, including a large and diverse group of Michigan residents and stakeholders representing groups with an interest or concern for the state’s transportation decision-making process. This includes best practices for targeting and providing attention to environmental justice populations, marginalized communities, and tribal governments.

The top methods the department will use to gather public input include:

• The use of Metroquest, an innovative technology to extend outreach to a larger and more diverse group of Michigan residents during the MM 2045 development phase, which extends from January to April.
• Scenario planning via Metroquest that will present transportation situations to the public in a realistic context to help determine a long-term vision for transportation in Michigan.
• Telephone town halls that will allow MDOT to randomly dial as many as 10,000 landline phones per town hall and offer the public an opportunity to join a conference call, ask questions, and express opinions about transportation in Michigan and MM 2045. MDOT will announce the schedule for these events.
• An attitudes and perceptions survey that will help gauge public perceptions to ensure the needs and priorities of a representative sample of Michigan residents are considered.
• Visioning sessions with key stakeholders that will provide a collaborative context for informing engagement methods, establishing transportation priorities, and determining best methods for outreach to marginalized communities.

After gathering public feedback, MDOT will share a final draft of the plan and extend invitations for more targeted public engagement activities. This will occur during the second phase of the plan, which begins in May.

You can view the plan and provide comments at www.michiganmobility.org.

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