NEW APPROACHES IN STATE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING

This paper provides a review of significant developments by various state agencies in two key areas of statewide transportation planning: (a) public involvement in plan and program development and (b) financially constrained state highway system plans. Brief synopses are presented of the statewide public involvement processes in Minnesota, Iowa, Arizona, and Louisiana and the plan development processes in Tennessee, South Dakota, California, and Texas. Some general similarities among the eight planning processes are discussed. The activities in these two areas reflect the realization that planning is an increasingly important resource. State transportation agency managers and state legislators are seeking public input on key elements of statewide planning, such as identification of issues, evaluation of policy options, and development of plans and programs. Also, managers and legislators are looking for (a) planning options that satisfy travel desires but also recognize limited financial resources and (b) methods of controlling the planning, programming, and letting schedules. The desire for public involvement is a recognition of the need for public officials to respond to transportation problems identified by the public and an attempt to involve the public in some of the complexities of the transportation program. /Author/