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Trip-Planning: More Than Just Road Signs. Michele Ackles Delaware Department of Transportation Work Zone Safety Conference. The Context in Delaware. Small state with emphasis on personal relationships Extensive state road system - 88% of roads are state-maintained
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Trip-Planning: More Than Just Road Signs Michele Ackles Delaware Department of Transportation Work Zone Safety Conference
The Context in Delaware • Small state with emphasis on personal relationships • Extensive state road system - 88% of roads are state-maintained • Population becoming more diverse
Routes for DelDOT Communication • Ongoing, general DelDOT Outreach • Project-Specific Outreach - Pre-Construction - During Construction
General DelDOT Outreach • Website • Email Subscription Notices • Print Construction Report • Events • DelDOT AM Radio Station • DelDOT 1-800 number
DelDOT Web Site • Press Releases • Travel Advisories & Live Traffic Camera • Subscription Services • Announcements of Public Meetings & Workshops • Capital Transportation Program • Links to DART, RideShare, TMA • Links to Project Sites
Print Construction Reports • Weekly traffic restriction information • Summer Construction Report
Events • Transportation Festival, Home Show, Trade Shows • Meet people in a non-confrontational setting • General DelDOT information, job openings, project information
DelDOT RadioWTCM — AM 1280 • Daily real-time traffic information • Weekly construction information • Transit information • Public workshop announcements
And there’s more. . . • DelDOT 1-800 number • Work with MPOs • Public information brochures • Giveaways with website and radio station call numbers
Project-Specific, Pre-Construction Outreach • Working Groups/Planning Advisory Groups • Public Workshops • Internet • Print Media • Legislative Briefings • “Branding”
Working Groups/Planning Advisory Groups • Range in size • Include neighborhood residents, public officials, other government entities, business groups, etc. • Help plan design & mitigation • Promote project to constituencies
Public Workshops • Go where people are • Make it fun • Target the workshop to your audience
Internet • Project Web Sites • “Virtual” Workshops
Print Media • Press Briefings • Press Releases • Newspaper ads • Survival Guides
Legislative Briefings • Legislators under time pressure and often do not attend working group meetings • Important avenue for reaching constituents
“Branding” • Unified graphic design throughout the project • Raises public awareness
Project-Specific Outreach During Construction Continue Some Pre-Construction Activities: • Project Working Group • Project Web Sites • Press Releases
Project-Specific Outreach During Construction Add New Activities: • Project Flyers • Construction Working Group • Construction Update Meetings • Project 1-800 hotlines • Employer Outreach
Construction Update Meetings • Meet with the public and the construction manager in the neighborhood • Allows residents and construction manager to know each other
Project Hotlines • Provide taped information • Outlet for people to comment • I-95 hotline had 900 calls per month during peak
Employer Outreach • Transportation Management Association reaches 70,000 employees via email • Coordinate transit with employer needs
Closing Thoughts Our publics are changing, so our methods must change. Nothing substitutes for personal relationships.