How Infrastructure Projects Affect Access to Nonprofit Care Services: A Local Advocate’s Toolkit

When highway work threatens a clinic’s bus stop: a local advocate’s urgent how-to

If you care for older adults or run a nonprofit clinic, you know how fragile access can be. A lane closure, a reconfigured ramp or a detoured bus route during a major highway upgrade can mean missed dialysis, empty adult day centers and exhausted family caregivers. Right now — with large projects such as the I-75 project proposals in Georgia pushing ahead in early 2026 — community leaders must act early and strategically to protect nonprofit access and ensure service continuity.

Why this matters in 2026: trends shaping access

Late 2025 and early 2026 saw renewed momentum for big highway investments in many states. For example, Georgia’s 2026 proposal to spend about $1.8 billion to add toll express lanes on stretches of I-75 highlights a national trend: some regions are doubling down on highway expansion even as advocates push for transit and community-centered mobility solutions.

That context matters for local nonprofit care providers because planning decisions now determine how people get to clinics, adult day centers and community supports for years. Meanwhile, three trends are shaping your advocacy window:

• Large projects move in phases: environmental review, design, right-of-way, construction — each phase offers a distinct chance to influence outcomes.
• Digital tools are changing advocacy: open data, travel-time modeling, and easy online public comment platforms make evidence-based engagement feasible for local groups.
• Funding and policy levers exist: federal and state programs launched since the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (IIJA) have created mitigation, resilience and equity funds you can tap.

The advocate’s priority checklist (inverted pyramid: act now)

Start with the highest-impact actions and move to technical details. Use this checklist as your field guide.

1. Find the project stage and documents — If a highway upgrade like an I-75 lane addition is proposed, locate the project page on the state DOT and the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Look for the Notice of Intent, draft Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and public meeting schedules.
2. Map your services and riders — Create a simple map showing clinics, adult day centers, bus stops, paratransit routes and client home locations (use anonymized data). This visual is the cornerstone of your case for mitigation.
3. Document real impacts — Collect ride logs, missed-appointment counts, caregiver diaries and photos of current access. Quantify lost revenue and increased caregiver hours where possible.
4. Build a coalition — Partner with other nonprofits, transit riders, health systems, faith groups and businesses. Strength in numbers increases visibility and political leverage.
5. File timely, focused public comments — Use evidence and specific requests (see the public comment template below). Deliver comments at hearings and directly to the DOT project manager and MPO.
6. Propose concrete mitigation — Ask for temporary shuttle service, protected access ramps, signed detours, construction phasing that preserves critical access windows, and funding for mobility alternatives.
7. Negotiate monitoring and enforcement — Secure commitments for weekly check-ins during construction and a named point of contact for access emergencies.

Quick wins you can implement within 2–6 weeks

• Register for project email alerts on the DOT and MPO sites.
• Attend the next public meeting and deliver a 2-minute comment highlighting the human impact.
• Create and share a one-page map of your service catchment and critical access points.

Step-by-step toolkit: from mapping to enforcement

1. Map and measure the human geography

A solid map shows why a lane shift is not abstract. Use free tools (Google My Maps, QGIS for more advanced users) to plot:

• Clinic entrances, adult day center doors and home-delivery routes
• Transit stops, paratransit pickup locations and ADA-accessible ramps
• Typical travel times and alternate routes pre- and post-construction (estimate)

Tip: annotate your map with times of day when services occur (e.g., adult day center pick-ups 8–10 a.m.).

2. Find the right decisionmakers and processes

Every major highway project will be listed with:

• The state Department of Transportation (DOT) project manager
• The MPO where metropolitan transportation planning happens
• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) contacts if the project uses federal funds

Attend MPO board and committee meetings — these bodies approve short- and long-range plans and often set mitigation priorities. Use the project docket numbers in your communications so officials can quickly locate your concern.

3. Use the environmental review to your advantage

If the project is in NEPA review (EA or EIS), that’s your best timing. Requests you can make in the review include:

• Requirements for a Transportation and Access Management Plan that preserves clinical and day-center access
• Alternatives analysis that considers maintaining bus service vs. temporary reductions
• Environmental Justice and Title VI analysis tailored to older adults and low-income riders

4. Draft a powerful public comment

Public comments matter — but they must be clear and specific. Use this structure:

1. Identify who you are and your role (e.g., caregiving nonprofit director)
2. State the exact project and docket number
3. Describe the human impact with one data point and one testimony sentence
4. Request specific mitigation and a named timeline
5. Ask for a monitoring contact and biweekly progress reports

Sample public comment excerpt: “I am the director of Riverbend Adult Day Services. The proposed I-75 widening (Project #XYZ) will close the Main St. ramp used by our 35 daily participants. We request a temporary shuttle funded by the contractor for the 18-month construction period, maintenance of the existing bus stop with signed detours, and a named DOT monitor to resolve access issues within 24 hours.”

5. Propose practical mitigation measures

Mitigation that can be built into contracts is most reliable. Ask for:

• Temporary bus stop relocations within 200 feet and ADA-compliant boarding pads
• Contractor-funded shuttles or on-demand microtransit during peak clinic hours
• Phased construction that keeps at least one access route open during pick-up and drop-off windows
• Clear, multilingual signage and outreach to riders about changes
• Compensation or vouchers for taxis/rideshares when public transit detours extend travel time beyond 30 minutes

6. Use data and partners to strengthen your ask

Partner with local universities, transit agencies or civic tech groups to produce a short travel-time model showing how the project affects clinic catchments. Recent 2025–2026 tools allow rapid scenario modeling — you can show a before/after 15–30 minute loss in access for specific client groups.

7. Secure funding or contractual commitments

Key funding strategies in 2026:

• Ask the DOT to include mitigation costs in the project’s construction budget
• Apply for state or federal mobility grants and IIJA-funded programs for transit access
• Request philanthropic or local business sponsorship for temporary shuttles

8. Monitor, document and escalate during construction

Once construction begins, maintain logs of incidents and missed services. Use public records requests if necessary and escalate repeated failures to the MPO, elected officials and the media. Consider generating weekly situation reports and posting them on a coalition website to keep pressure on the contractor and DOT.

Advanced strategies for 2026 and beyond

As project teams adopt new technology and planning tools, advocates can match them with advanced tactics:

• Use open data and AI to model impacts: Partner with civic tech groups to run routing simulations that quantify increased travel time and costs to clinics. Visual, data-driven narratives are persuasive.
• Leverage equity and climate funding: Frame requests as advancing environmental justice and resilience. DOTs now consider heat island and stormwater impacts in project contracts — tie your access proposals to these priorities.
• Negotiate legal agreements: When mitigation is critical, seek a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or a binding mitigation plan in the project’s environmental record.
• Develop contingency staffing plans: Train volunteers and community drivers for short-term ride-rescue operations during peak construction.

Case example: a composite story of success

In a suburban county facing a major interstate upgrade, a coalition of two adult day centers, a community clinic and a transit rider group used a three-step approach that worked:

1. They mapped client locations and documented 120 missed appointments during a pilot closure;
2. They submitted a focused public comment asking for a contractor-funded shuttle and phased ramp closures aligned with pickup windows;
3. They secured an MOU with the DOT requiring weekly access checks and a $150,000 mitigation fund to operate the shuttle for the 12-month construction period.

The result: service continuity with fewer missed appointments and a publicly accessible mitigation dashboard that held the contractor accountable.

Common barriers and how to overcome them

Barrier: “They say construction will finish quickly — we don’t have leverage.”

Response: Demonstrate the specific harm (missed care, increased ER visits) and tie mitigation costs to long-term social costs. Use coalition endorsements from health systems and local electeds.

Barrier: “We don’t have data or technical skills.”

Response: Use simple tools and partners. Even a hand-drawn map plus a handful of client stories is persuasive in a hearing.

Barrier: “We missed the public comment deadline.”

Response: File a late comment, attend hearings, and request a follow-up meeting. For projects with federal funding, request administrative reconsideration if new evidence arises.

Templates and practical language

Sample public comment (short)

I am [Name], director of [Organization], serving [number] older adults in [community]. The proposed I-75 project (Docket #[XXXX]) will remove the Main Street on-ramp and reroute the #12 bus stop, increasing travel time for our clients by an estimated 20–30 minutes. We request the DOT require contractor-funded shuttle service during weekday morning and afternoon pick-up windows, maintain an ADA-accessible temporary bus stop within 200 feet of the current stop, and provide a named DOT monitor with 24-hour response capacity. We are available to share client maps and attend mitigation planning meetings. Thank you.

Data points to include when possible

• Number of daily clients directly impacted
• Average additional travel time expected
• Number of missed appointments in a similar past closure (if available)
• Transit routes and stop IDs

Key contacts and where to look

• State DOT project page and project manager
• Local MPO (TIP and long-range plan contacts)
• Transit agency operations and paratransit managers
• FHWA division office (for federally funded projects)
• Local elected officials and county mobility coordinators

Final checklist before you submit a comment or meet officials

• Have a one-page map and one compelling client anecdote
• State the exact mitigation you want with timelines and named responsibilities
• Ask for monitoring and a communication protocol for access failures
• Get endorsements from at least two allied organizations

Why this work matters — and why you can win

Highway projects like the 2026 I-75 discussions will reshape travel for decades. But decisions aren’t preordained. Community-led advocacy wins contracts and mitigation when it pairs lived experience with clear, evidence-based asks. Protecting access to clinics and adult day centers isn’t a luxury — it’s a public health imperative that saves money and preserves dignity.

Take action now: your next 30-day plan

1. Day 1–7: Find project documents, sign up for email alerts, and draft a 2-minute comment.
2. Day 8–14: Map your critical access points and collect 3 client stories with consent.
3. Day 15–21: Build a coalition and submit your public comment; request a meeting with the project manager.
4. Day 22–30: Propose mitigation language, request a named monitor, and apply for any short-term mobility funds.

Resources and where to learn more

• State DOT project pages and MPO calendars
• Local transit agency paratransit and operations staff
• University transportation research centers (for modeling support)
• Federal guidance on NEPA, Environmental Justice, and IIJA funding

Closing: your voice preserves care access

Infrastructure decisions are technical — but their consequences are deeply human. As a community leader or caregiver, your lived knowledge of daily travel, clinic schedules and caregiver burden is indispensable. Use this toolkit to move from worry to action: map the impact, show the data, build a coalition, and insist on enforceable mitigation. When projects like the I-75 upgrade proceed, every public comment and every meeting matters for preserving clinic transport and uninterrupted care access.

Call to action: Start today — map one service location, submit one public comment, and recruit one ally. If you’d like a fillable public comment template or a one-page map worksheet, sign up for our free Community Toolkit and join other local advocates pushing for equitable infrastructure decisions in 2026.

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