By MACHELLE WATKINS

In the age of 24-hour news cycles and social media, the public expects information available on its timetable and on the platform of its choosing.

This presents the transportation industry with a challenge to provide information in a variety of ways, places and formats.

A Missouri Dept. of Transportation bridge project last summer in Jefferson City narrowed U.S. Route 54 – the main thoroughfare to the Lake of the Ozarks – to a single lane of traffic just south of the Missouri River bridges. Not only were local commuters affected, but tourists coming from St. Louis, Hannibal and other points north and east headed to the Lake of the Ozarks also needed to plan alternate routes or allow extra travel time. This meant getting information out early – and often.

Before construction began, maps of alternate routes were distributed to northern MoDOT districts and shared by local chambers of commerce, conventions and visitors’ bureaus and other state agencies. Regularly throughout the project, emails were sent to these agencies as traffic impacts changed and milestones were reached. Building on these communications infrastructures already in place magnified the reach of each piece of news that was shared.

The team used a multifaceted approach including traditional news releases and social media posts, augmented with GoPro video of a car navigating the work zone, dynamic graphics of which lane to use dependent on destination and newsletters distributed regularly via email during each stage of the project. We worked diligently to communicate regularly with the contractor and our communications staff. We knew this was going to affect a wide audience and getting notice out early to the public was key in making everything move smoothly.

It was this deliberate, well-thought-out and coordinated collaboration, ensuring each impact was identified early and presented in a variety of mediums, that helped to create a clearer understanding for those navigating the work zones. Traffic still backed up, especially during peak commuter and tourist travel times, but the delays were less than anticipated, impacts were minimized and the project was completed safely, on time and on budget.

Machelle Watkins is the central district engineer at Missouri Dept. of Transportation.