April 13, 2017
LOS ANGELES – After using SmartComment’s digital public engagement platform for a critical widening project along NC211, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is using the software to gather and analyze feedback regarding two more improvement projects along a heavily trafficked portion of I-70 in Raleigh-Durham.
All three projects are part of a ten-year transportation improvement program in North Carolina that ranks as one of the state’s most ambitious efforts ever to improve mobility across all modes of transportation, encompassing more than 1,000 projects located in all of the state’s 100 counties.
“These important projects will affect transportation in North Carolina for generations to come, and we applaud the NCDOT for ensuring transparency and accessibility throughout the process by taking this modern approach to public engagement,” said Tim Mullen, co-founder of SmartComment. “We look forward to our role in making sure state transportation officials understand the full picture of public sentiment regarding this monumental effort.”
The first of the proposed projects would affect a heavily congested stretch of I-70 (Glenwood Avenue) between T.W. Alexander Street and I-540 in Durham and Wake Counties. Currently undergoing an environmental review, the plan includes adding possible interchanges at T.W. Alexander and Brier Creek Parkway, among other safety- and traffic-oriented improvements. Comments regarding this proposal are being accepted until May 8. More information about the two alternatives being considered are available on the NCDOT website at https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/us70BrierCreek/. There, citizens can find a link to make a comment about the proposal at http://us70briercreek.ncdot.commentinput.com/.
The other project involving SmartComment would convert approximately 5 miles of I-70 — from Lynn Road in Durham to west of T.W. Alexander Drive in Raleigh — into a multi-lane freeway. A public engagement campaign is tentatively scheduled for later this spring/summer.
About SmartComment
SmartComment provides a powerful online platform that allows agencies and organizations to efficiently manage multiple public comment periods, as well as analyze and maintain the components of each one. Besides providing a website set up specifically for each project, SmartComment’s powerful suite of tools allows clients to organize comments by topic, location, and other criteria, and to efficiently respond to them. SmartComment has brought increased accessibility and transparency to a number of high-profile projects, including the Nanushuk oil discovery in Alaska, the proposed Lucky Minerals mine in Montana, San Francisco’s proposed rezoning of its historic Central SoMa neighborhood, and the proposed $5.4 billion extension of the 710 Freeway in Los Angeles.