Public Participation and Bridge Type Selection

In 1999 the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) began the final plan development of the Maumee River Crossing Project in Toledo, Ohio. The project involves the engineering, design, and construction of a new high-level bridge crossing over the Maumee River on Interstate 280. It is a signature project for Northwest Ohio and represents the largest and most expensive project undertaken in the history of ODOT. All communities in Northwest Ohio have a history of involvement in public decisions, and a tremendous number of people wanted active participation in design and land use decisions about the new crossing. ODOT recognized the need to balance local and regional interests yet keep the project on schedule. These factors presented unique challenges to the encouragement of public participation at all levels. The agency decided to implement a comprehensive public involvement program that intimately involved the local metropolitan planning organization, ensured that elected officials were apprised of project developments, and provided for regionwide distribution of information about the project. The first major project decision was the selection of the type of bridge to be built. Within 5 months, a decision was made by ODOT, with full community support, to build a concrete cable-stayed bridge over the river. The success of the public involvement program for this segment of the design was found in the ability to focus citizen-based committees on a process for gathering public input and to help the committees understand how to incorporate the input into the bridge type decision.