Life Cycle Phase 2: Project Development

Project Development brings improvement concepts, environmental documents, and mitigation strategies to completion. Following the 6-Step Process, Project Development identifies a Project Leadership Team (PLT), reviews the initial project scope and inputs from previous Corridor Planning efforts, and clarifies project outcomes. The PLT and Project Staff ensure that the subsequent steps of the 6-Step Process are followed and that each step is documented. These and other teams are defined in Team Roles and Responsibilities. The representative tasks and resulting documentation are outlined in the Sample Tasks and Documentation Matrix.

The requirement of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to include public and agency outreach in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents is consistent with Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) and the 6-Step Process. The CDOT NEPA Manual includes guidance on incorporating CSS into the NEPA Process. CDOT has made a commitment to include community representation on selection committees and PLTs for all projects, including site-specific Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) and Environmental Assessments (EAs). The CSS approach encourages partnerships with local, regional, and state entities.

During Project Development, the Project Staff develops a Project Work Plan, Project Schedule, Stakeholder Involvement Plan, and Context Map checklist for review and approval by the PLT.

Types of projects included in Phase 2 include Tier 2 environmental documents (EIS, EA, Categorical Exclusions), subsequent NEPA Decision Documents, environmental clearances, and feasibility studies. Documents generated in this phase often include conceptual design.