Work Zone Mobility and Safety Program

Successful Work Zone Outreach and Communication Practices

As noted by Roemer Alfelor, of FHWA Headquarters, in his introduction to the workshop, public outreach for work zone projects has a very powerful and necessary role. Public outreach and communication helps to:

  • Provide information to the public so they can make smart travel decisions;
  • Promote safety and reduce congestion/delay in and around work zones;
  • Decrease public dissatisfaction with work zones; and
  • Make work zones work better.

As a result of its importance, the development of public outreach strategies is one of the key elements of the updated rule on work zone safety and mobility (23 CFR Section 630, Subpart J). More information on the final rule is available at http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/final_rule.htm. Within the rule there is a requirement for State agencies to include a public information component in the Transportation Management Plan (TMP) for all significant projects. A significant project is defined in the rule as one that alone or in combination with other concurrent projects nearby is anticipated to cause sustained work zone impacts that are greater than what is considered tolerable based on State policy and/or engineering judgment. The public information component is meant to address communication with the public and concerned stakeholders about the project, its expected work zone impacts, and changing conditions. The rule encourages states to take a partner driven approach when developing public information strategies and to also create strategies that are scalable to a project's needs.

In order to help the focus states develop useful public information and communication strategies, several presenters were invited to the workshop to give presentations on outreach strategies used for projects in their state. Within the presentations, each expert offered suggestions and notable practices for developing and implementing successful communication and outreach strategies. These presentations included information such as how the project affected the public, outreach cost compared to overall project cost, barriers and obstacles faced in implementing the strategies, methods for assessing success, and lessons learned. The presentations heard included:

  • Why Public Outreach (includes Caltrans TMP Effectiveness Study and Full Closure Success Stories), Tracy Scriba, FHWA
  • Public Outreach Practices: Lessons Learned from an Informal Survey, Will Mallett and Jakia Torrence, Battelle
  • Springfield Interchange Improvement Project, Steve Titunik, Virginia DOT
  • North Dakota's Experience: I-29, Kevin Gorder, North Dakota DOT
  • North Carolina's Integration of 511 and Work Zone Information, Jo Ann Oerter, North Carolina DOT

Common Findings

Throughout all presentations, a number of common themes were heard, which are summarized below:

  • The public is a valuable partner in helping agencies operate work zones effectively.
  • Informing the public and businesses about work zone projects is important – if given the correct information to make travel decisions many people will chose to avoid the project area.
  • Building trust from the public and businesses is important, even if this means answering questions that don't directly pertain to the project. For both the Springfield, Virginia and the Fargo, North Dakota projects, the presenters noted that they are willing to answer questions even if they don't relate to the project because doing so gives them credibility in the public's eye.
  • Even if you hire a PR firm, there should still be a representative from the DOT to serve as the "public face" for the agency.
  • Web sites are a good way to provide project information but they are only as good as the information on them (the same goes for a 511 system). The information must be timely and accurate.
  • People like to see pictures of the project as well as real time traffic maps.
  • The media is one of the most cost effective ways of getting out project information.
  • Work closely with local businesses, if you get them on your side they can help greatly with spreading information.
  • Plan ahead, the more you plan ahead the more prepared you will be when the project begins.

Full summaries of the presentations can be found in Appendix C.

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