Public involvement
Your thoughts and opinions are important to us. The opinions of community members and those who depend on the route are a fundamental part of the route development study process. WSDOT kept the public informed about the progress of the Route Development Plan through the local media, this project Web page, multiple public open houses and the stakeholder committee.
WSDOT hosted four stakeholder committee meetings during Phase 1.
The stakeholder committee was made up of individuals interested in transportation issues along SR 7. Their role was to inform WSDOT of transportation concerns in the communities they represent and endorse the improvements included in the plan. To view a list of people who serve on the stakeholder committee, please visit the Stakeholder Committee Web page.
Three public meetings were held between May and October 2005 at the Bob Lyle Community Center in Morton. For more information about the public outreach activities, please visit Southwest Region's Public Involvement Web page.
Increasing safety is our priority
The Route Development Plan includes both short- and long-term safety solutions for this section of SR 7. WSDOT collected information about safety concerns at the public meetings.
Environmental protection
Studying and evaluating environmental issues that might have an impact on future project development is an important part of the Route Development Plan process. Although specific project impacts cannot be addressed by a study like this, some indication about known environmental issues, especially those that are identified as priorities by the community, will be analyzed and documented as part of the study report. Among other things, discussions with the community will focus on how environmental issues play a role in local planning and project development.
For environmental information specific to this project, please contact Barb Aberle at (360) 905-2186, or e-mail AberleB@wsdot.wa.gov.
Will this project impact tribal resources?
WSDOT addresses the concerns of the tribal nations using the process outlined in Section 106 of The National Historic Preservation Act and the WSDOT Tribal Consultation Policy adopted in 2003 by the Transportation Commission as part of the WSDOT Centennial Accord Plan.
For more information visit our WSDOT Tribal Liaison website.