Illinois State Freight Plan
R.M. Chin & Associates, Inc. (CHIN) serves as the sub-consultant managing stakeholder outreach for the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) Illinois State Freight Plan. This comprehensive, state-wide plan builds upon existing related plans and programs to incorporate national freight planning best practices and develop interactive District freight plans. The project will focus on three core elements: evaluation of the state of freight in Illinois, development of a vision for the future, and establishing a plan to achieve the vision.
Outreach Management
As manager of stakeholder outreach, CHIN is responsible for conducting all outreach and developing communication materials for the Illinois State Freight Plan. Stakeholder engagement is a multifaced and cross-cutting task across the plan, enabling stakeholders and the public to provide input, validate findings, and build partnerships critical to the plan’s implementation. A stakeholder engagement plan was developed to detail the engagement strategy for the freight plan, including a high-level outline of the different type of stakeholders.
Stakeholder List
A stakeholder list was created to identify further the objectives and stakeholders needed. The stakeholder list outlined the phases of the project, the purposes for each stakeholder group, where they would be engaged, and which internal IDOT, Illinois State Freight Advisory Council, and public and private sector stakeholders are needed for the project.
Engagement Activities
Activities within this task include surveys, interviews, communication tools such as website creation, social media and media plans, fact sheets, presentations, talking points, project brochures, and meeting materials. The stakeholder engagement plan focuses on equitable stakeholder and community engagement and building opportunities for collaboration between state agencies, counties, municipalities, and other public- and private-sector freight stakeholders.
