As part of AASHTO's "Are We There Yet?" national transportation marketing campaign, the workshop -- "Communications Strategies Behind America's Top Transportation Projects" -- spotlighted four of the top 10 projects from this year's America's Transportation Awards competition.

The four projects had several common elements:

• Outreach and communications strategies were integrated into the beginning of the project planning process;
• Key audiences were identified and specific tools were developed to reach these audiences;
• Both new "social media" and old traditional media were engaged; and
• Simple, direct, and visual messages were generated.

Delaware Transportation Secretary Carolann Wicks outlined the communications plan used on the state project to add a fifth lane to Interstate 95 in a section that carries more than 230,000 people daily. The director of her communications and public relations office has direct access to her and is on par with other directors. Wicks said she feels this was an important element in building a strong communications strategy for the I-95 project.

The DelDOT team first identified a full range of target audiences, including in-state and out-of-state travelers, and specifically reached out to them through AAA, Motor Freight Services, and Mapquest. DelDOT also developed a master list of legislators, organizations, businesses, and other interest groups. The department contacted them directly when lane closures or detours were expected.

Numerous public meetings, direct mail pieces, and billboards that broke down complex engineering jargon into more-digestible explanations were used, along with weekly press releases, variable message signs, a project webpage with live traffic cameras, in-house radio announcements, and traffic reports.

The resulting feedback from highway users regarding the benefits of the I-95 expansion was positive. One person wrote to DelDOT, "Nicest part is this shot up my fuel economy by 4 mpg." Another affected motorist said, "Since that lane has opened, I went from a 45-minute to a 30-minute (sometimes 20-minute) commute because the traffic flows so well."

In California, the Fix I-5 project was a massive undertaking in an area of Sacramento known as the "Boat Section" for its history of flooding. More than 190,000 people a day traveled along a 3/4-mile segment that acted as a gateway to the California Capitol. Jody Jones, District 3 director for the California Department of Transportation, said there were several campaign objectives, including creating a strong brand, generating 100 percent public awareness, and urging drivers to use other modes. The brand, "Fix I-5," quickly communicated a positive message that was reinforced by visuals and a logo. The outreach campaign had a $240,000 budget and included a $190,000 media buy. Jones said partnerships were key since they increased public awareness through links and allowed for significant additional (and free) outreach.

Although the project didn't break ground until May, publicity began in February with a series of events that included the governor. In addition, ads in truck magazines, hand-delivered brochures to truck stops, and a "Freeway Frenzy" game helped spread the word to important audiences. Caltrans also parked a trailer overlooking the project for media to view the work and conduct daily briefings.

Washington State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond, who moderated the session and chairs the AASHTO Marketing Task Force, called the Minnesota Interstate 35W bridge collapse in 2007 the "bridge failure heard around the world. It really woke people up about the state of our infrastructure and bridges."

At the workshop, Kevin Gutknecht, the Minnesota Department of Transportation's director of communications, said the state's first step was to conduct a situation analysis that took into account several issues: high and prolonged public and media interest, location of the bridge, state and local politics, neighborhood support, time, and separating the bridge collapse and the new construction into two separate issues. Gutknecht's job was to concentrate on the construction of the new bridge, with a goal of building trust in the state's bridges and in MnDOT. The strategy: complete transparency. The tactics: Leave no question unanswered and provide multiple channels for questions and information flow.

Gutknecht became the full-time, on-site media coordinator and worked side by side with a public-affairs person hired by the contractor. The contractor also used a helicopter and photographer to show the progress of the bridge construction. Gutknecht said he "took reporters anywhere and everywhere." They used webcams, a website, weekly project updates, monthly audio news releases, a 24-hour hotline, and presentations to anyone who asked, he said.

One of the best things MnDOT did, Gutknecht noted, was to create a "Saturday Sidewalk Superintendent." Essentially, they closed off one lane of a bridge that ran parallel to the old bridge and invited people to come down to watch the progress and ask questions. More than 5,000 people took tours to watch during the construction.

The Minnesota I-35W bridge replacement was named the top transportation project in the country for 2009, winning the America's Transportation Awards' Grand Prize in October. (For information on all the winners and nominees in this year's contest, visit www.AmericasTransportationAward.org.)

Four presentations from this workshop are available on the NTPAW website at tinyurl.com/NTPAW-AM09. Look for the links under "Communications Strategies Behind America's Top Transportation Projects" on the right sidebar.