Public Information Flyers Accelerate Trails ROW Discussions

Item #: 20250063

CONTACTS

Implementing Organization: Tranist and Trails
Implementation Lead: Stephanie Tomlin
Development Team:
- Trails Division
  - Stephanie Tomlin - Director
  - Eric Buell
  - Kate Wright
  - Trevor Egan
  - Hailey Hicken
- Kim Oreilly - Central ROW (reviewer/tester)
- Eileen Barron - Central Communications (reviewer/tester)
- Eduardo Miranda - Region Two PM (reviewer/tester/user)

Article Written By: Eric Buell
Innovation Council Liaison: Eric Buell
Innovation Team Coordinator: Quinten Klingonsmith

STATUS

Implementation Date: June 1, 2025
Adoption Status: Fully Implemented
Adoptability Note: How could you use these techniques to help with ROW acquisitions?

APPLIES TO

Topic: Community Engagement
Organization(s): Central Admin / Senior Leaders, Central Preconstruction, Communication, Planning, Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, Region 4, Right of Way, Transit and Trails
Job Role(s): Administrative Staff / Commissions, Executive Leadership, Information Specialist, Program Director, Program Manager, Program Specialist, ROW / Permits
Tags: active transportation, fees, labor productivity, employee empowerment, political factors, economic benefits, expenses, expenditures, , education and training, redesign, communications > public relations ( PR ), right of way, flyer, trails, ROW, acquisition, public information, PI, aesthetics, environmental quality > pollution > air, noise, public opinion, quality of life, user benefits, ( connected communities )

PROBLEM

The UDOT Trails Division uses ongoing state funds to plan, design, build, and operate the Utah Trail Network (UTN), a network of paved trails throughout the state.

A challenge for this program is that UDOT cannot use eminent domain to acquire land for UTN construction. This creates a tricky situation because designers cannot know exactly where a trail can be built because they do not know which landowners are willing to sell the required land. This uncertainty leads to design rework and added project costs.

CHANGE

To garner support and gauge the willingness of property owners to provide the necessary right-of-way (ROW), the Trails Division, with assistance from other UDOT divisions, developed project-specific public information flyers to distribute along proposed trail alignments.

Each flyer has information about the trail, the UTN program, and a QR code that directs property owners to an online questionnaire. The Trails Division records participants’ level of interest in the proposed project, collects their contact information, and gathers any comments or additional information that might be helpful. These flyers are managed by the project’s public information group and are distributed during the early phases of the design process.

RESULT

Providing information to landowners and gathering their input early in the design process has two major benefits. First, the flyers provide credible, benefit-oriented information that helps build trust and enthusiasm for projects. Second, the responses to the surveys provide project managers with valuable ROW data. Knowing which property owners are open to participating in the project accelerates the design and ROW acquisition process, avoiding costly redesign work later on.

IMPACT

BETTER MOBILITY

More ideal trail alignments provide trail access to more people in targeted areas

GOOD HEALTH

Greater health benefits are achieved by supporting active transportation

CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

Connects land owners with trail designers
Engenders trust, credibility, and cooperation

STRONG ECONOMY

Avoids costly design rework
Saves time and shortens project duration

EFFICIENCIES*

Cost Avoidance: $29,734,967 over 20 years (Jul 1, 2025 - Jul 1, 2045)
This includes a 5% per project cost savings due to shorter scoping time, less rework of environmental documents and ROW design, and reduced schedule delays, which helps avoid general inflation to project budgets.
Benefit/Cost Ratio: 113:1

*Benefits are estimated net of initial and ongoing expenses. Savings are averaged over the expected benefit life of the innovation. See details.

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