HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwestern Pennsylvania
planning officials have teamed with PennDOT and the State Transportation
Commission on a new approach to gathering public comment for the next update
of the state's Twelve Year Transportation Program and for the region's
four-year program and long-range plan.
Ten county-based Public Participation Panels (PPPs) have been formed to
gather information about transportation needs.
Moreover, representatives from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional
Planning Commission (SPRPC) and Development Council (The Council) will sit
with members of the State Transportation Commission to jointly receive
information from the county groups.
"We welcome this opportunity to widen our network and gather as many
viewpoints as possible on the direction of our transportation program," said
PennDOT Secretary Bradley L. Mallory, chairman of the State Transportation
Commission.
"SPRPC is committed to more and better outreach to both the public and
private sectors," added Jim Scahill, chairman of both SPRPC and the Armstrong
County Commissioners. "These new Public Participation Panels will provide
better access to our planning and decision making."
Sen. J. Barry Stout, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Transportation
Committee and a member of the State Transportation Commission, championed the
effort to enhance public participation and hold coordination hearings.
"This approach will ensure that many voices are heard in as efficient a
way as possible," said Sen. Stout of Washington County. "Transportation is
crucial to the economic health of our region and I am pleased with these
changes that will improve the planning process."
Each of the county panels will be made up of 40 to 60 representatives of
transportation agencies and providers and other groups reflecting a
demographic cross section of their communities. County commissioners and City
officials selected the list of participants.
"These 10 new citizen panels and the public meetings they will hold are a
better way to reach out and seek a higher level of public involvement in our
regional plan and program," said Robert Kochanowski, SPRPC's executive
director. "I look for them to produce a better understanding of the decision
making process, and a stronger public role in those important decisions."
The Public Participation Panels will be convened three times prior to
their presentations to the STC/SPRPC/The Council hearing. First, an
introductory meeting will be held in each of the three involved PennDOT
districts in early March. Next, the PPPs will convene public meetings in
their counties where project sponsors and the general public will speak. The
dates, times and locations of the 10 public meetings will be advertised in the
media. Finally, the PPPs will meet a third time to synthesize the public
comments.
Information from this innovative public involvement process will be used
to shape the 1999-2010 Twelve Year Transportation Program, SPRPC's 1999-2002
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and SPRPC's 2020 Long Range Plan.
The SPRPC/The Council region includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver,
Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland counties and the
city of Pittsburgh. Allegheny County will have two panels, including the city
of Pittsburgh, and each of the other eight counties will have one panel.
SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
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Related links:
http://www.ppt.psu.edu
CONTACT:
Sandy Love of the SPRPC, 412-391-5590, or
Rich Kirkpatrick of PennDOT, 717-783-8800
CNOC: http://www.prnewswire.com or fax, 800-758-5804, ext.
682850
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