US Department of Transportation

FHWA PlanWorks: Better Planning, Better Projects

US Department of Transportation

FHWA Planworks: Better Planning, Better Projects

ENV-2: Approve Notice of Intent

Environmental Review/NEPA Merged with Permitting

Description:

This Key Decision is required to satisfy the legal requirement of publishing a Notice of Intent (NOI) to inform partners and the public of the commencement of the environmental review phase. This step does not involve collaboration with partners or public stakeholders and is not closely integrated with other phases of transportation decision making or other decision making processes.

There is information developed in prior Key Decisions that informs this step.

Basics:

The first table describes the purpose and anticipated outcome of a Key Decision. If the decision is federally mandated, the purpose and outcome will relate to the legal intent.

The second table describes roles for key partners with legal decision making authority in the transportation process. The roles indicate the influence a partner can have on a decision, and show each partner where their input is most needed. For a full understanding of roles see the Partner Portal.

Purpose

Approve content of Notice of Intent for publication in the Federal Register.

Outcome

A published Notice of Intent.

Partner Role Type Description
MPO No Role No action required with regard to NEPA Notice of Intent.
FHWA/FTA Decision Maker Approves the notice of intent in accordance with federal requirements.
State DOT Advisor Ensures the NOI meets federal requirements.
Resource Agency Observer Observe issue of the Notice of Intent.
Public Transportation Operator(s) Observer Observe issue of the Notice of Intent.

Questions to Consider

Questions are a way to gather input from partners and stakeholders that can be used to inform the decision. Decision makers can discuss the questions provided to ensure a broad array of interests are considered to support a collaborative process. Questions also allow staff to collect stakeholder interests, ensure these are included in the decision, and provide a response based on the decision outcome. Although Public Transportation is not represented by a PlanWorks Application, the information provided may be useful in a collaborative transportation process.

Category Questions to Consider
Long Range Planning
  • No specific questions
Programming
  • No specific questions
Corridor Planning
  • No specific questions
Environmental Review
  • Is the content of the NOI comprehensive and thorough enough to meet legal requirements?
  • Is the NOI prepared in the format consistent with federal guidelines?
Bicycles and Pedestrians
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Capital Improvement
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Economic Development
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Freight
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Health in Transportation
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Human Environment and Communities
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Land Use
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Linking Planning and Operations
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Natural Environment and Implementing Eco Logical
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Performance Measures
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Planning and Environment Linkages
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Public Private Partnerships
  • Are the Notice of Intent (NOI) descriptions of the action and possible alternatives broad enough to allow for the use of a P3?
Public Transportation
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Safety
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Stakeholder Collaboration
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Transportation Conformity
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Visioning and Transportation
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.

Data

The following list of data may be needed to support the Key Decision. Practitioners collect this information for decision makers to consider. Although Public Transportation is not represented by a PlanWorks Application, the information provided may be useful in a collaborative transportation process.

Category Data to Consider
Long Range Planning
  • No specific data
Programming
  • No specific data
Corridor Planning
  • No specific data
Environmental Review
  • Description of the scope of the environmental review
Bicycles and Pedestrians
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Capital Improvement
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Economic Development
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Freight
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Health in Transportation
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Human Environment and Communities
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Land Use
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Linking Planning and Operations
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Natural Environment and Implementing Eco Logical
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Performance Measures
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Planning and Environment Linkages
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Public Private Partnerships
  • Review of NOI language
Public Transportation
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Safety
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Stakeholder Collaboration
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Transportation Conformity
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.
Visioning and Transportation
  • This Key Decision is not associated with the Application.

Examples

In - depth case studies of successful practices in collaborative decision making were used to develop the Decision Guide.Links in this table point to a specific paragraph or section of a case study that supports a Key Decision. It is not necessary to read through an entire case study to find the example; however, full versions are available in the Library.

PlanWorks Case Study Examples:
None.

Other Examples:
None.