We have already suggested that members of the general public may be involved in the development of the project programme, prior to the identification and study of alternative approaches to meeting the programme objectives. The public will likely have other opportunities as well to be part of the project. At various points in the planning and design process, public hearings and workshops may be held. An invitation for the public to attend such a meeting is reproduced as Figure 3.1. Although this project is small by most standards, the process is representative, as the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities solicited comments on various aspects of this highway pullout or wayside project during the planning phase. Although hearings are more likely to be held for publicly funded projects such as this one, legal regulations may stipulate that the public be invited to comment on issues such as land use and environmental impact for any project, whether public or private. The increasing use of the Internet makes this technology a convenient means for gathering public comments. In a later section we shall describe project websites and their use not only to enhance communications among members of the project team but also for providing information about the project to the general public and obtaining public feedback.
