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Last Updated: Monday, December 1, 2008 11:25 AM

Purpose and Need

This web site is an outgrowth of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Purpose and Need Quality Team, which was convened in March of 2002 and included members from Transportation Planning, Environmental Analysis, Design, Project Management and Legal, from Headquarters and five Caltrans Districts. For more information about the Team and its findings, see the Team’s Final Report.

The Team examined ways to improve the process of preparing well-defined purpose and need statements for transportation projects. One key element that the Team identified was the need to make guidance and tools about purpose and need statements more readily available. The Team made the creation of a web site part of its implementation plan.

The goal of this web site is to provide improved access to tools and resources to help planners, designers and managers prepare quality purpose and need statements that are appropriate to each stage of project planning and delivery. The goal of this web site is to provide access to a range of helpful resources and tools. Most of the resources and tools provided here were compiled or developed by the Purpose and Need Quality Team.

Purpose and Need includes:

• Definition and Background Information: about purpose and need statements
• Flow chart: Key Activities for Quality Purpose and Need Statements (31.6 KB)
• Purpose and Need the 'basic concepts' - Why, Who, When, What, How: helps you develope a well-defined purpose and need statement. Includes Matrices showing who develops and reviews purpose and need, and when it is developed.a compilation of practical information
• Matrix of inputs (information and data sources) to good purpose and need statements. This uses typical purpose and need input categories and identifies resources for each category at different project phases, including pre-programmed phases. (187 KB)
• Acronyms: commonly used in planning and delivery of transportation projects (112 KB)
• Glossary of Terms: related to planning and delivery of transportation projects (888 KB)
• Links to resources: about purpose and need and project alternatives

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