Every year, the Transportation Research Board (TRB) searches for the best public involvement case studies for it’s popular “John and Jane Q. Public Competition.” This year, we are thrilled to share that the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has taken home the grand prize for their innovative public involvement work on their Statewide Multimodal Transportation Plan and the Minnesota 20-Year State Highway Investment Plan!  

The agency used MetroQuest for online public engagement throughout the process, including the use of tablet-based engagement at innovative community events.  

This year’s theme for the TRB competition, “Communicating the Value of Long-Term Transportation Planning,” is close to our hearts since MetroQuest has become the public involvement software of choice for transportation agencies across the country. We’re pleased to see that our clients are getting the recognition they deserve for their outstanding public involvement results. 

The TRB calls their effort, “jam-packed with innovative tools and techniques” and cites their success at reaching a broad demographic including underserved communities. Congratulations to MnDOT for an outstanding showcase of how technology can be leveraged to increase public involvement and collect meaningful community input to inform transportation plans.  

The TRB understands how challenging it is to engage the public on long range transportation plans. 

“It’s extremely difficult to get the average person involved in long-term transportation planning. After all, developing long-term transportation plans, such as regional transportation plans or strategic citywide mobility studies are much less precise and often have much longer implementation periods than plans for a particular transport infrastructure.…But early and on-going involvement by John and Jane Q. Public is just as crucial for long-term transport planning as for planning specific transport facilities. To stimulate creative thinking and share innovative approaches, the Planning and Environment Group of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) sought best practices in communicating the value and importance of getting the public involved in long-term transportation planning.” 

Congratulations to MnDOT for your outstanding win! The whole team at MetroQuest is celebrating your success! 

Here are some resources if you’d like to learn more: 

MetroQuest Case Studies 

TRB John and Jane Q. Public Competition