Arizona Department of Transportation

Issue: In 2008, construction on the I-10 Improvement Project in the West Valley began. The Arizona Department of Transportation hoped to leverage this much-anticipated widening of I-10 into positive goodwill with local business and commuters, despite the road closures and inconveniences accompanied the construction.

Tactics: The STRATEGY forty-eight team, in partnership with our sister company Policy Development Group, helped ADOT position itself as an agency willing to take an aggressive public outreach approach to the high-profile project, with the goal of “telling the I-10 story” to commuters and those impacted by the construction. The message targeted outreach to the general public, local elected officials, the business community and the local media.

The STRATEGY forty-eight team managed a project web site and sent weekly construction updates to inform those impacted on project information including upcoming closures and restrictions, and progress and timelines for the project. The team produced videos, including time-lapse footage of the new median lanes being built, graphics, maps and fliers to help tell the story in an innovative way. The time-lapse video of the I-10 being widened was the first of its kind at ADOT and now is regularly used in its outreach efforts.

Result: The tangible results generated by the STRATEGY forty-eight and ADOT team have served as a model for other construction projects and public outreach efforts within the agency.