The decisions have been made, work is underway – and stakeholder communication is more important than ever. We ensure stakeholders know of closures and delays that may be coming their way on a day-to-day basis, all while documenting and promoting progress, and providing the context that promotes project understanding.
CASE STUDY
I-74 MISSISSIPPI RIVER BRIDGE
A Bi-State Regional Project
CLIENT: Iowa Department of Transportation and Illinois Department of Transportation
As part of a regional strategy to improve access and accommodate a growing Quad Cities community, the I-74 Mississippi River Bridge project was launched to replace the aging interstate bridges with beautifully designed basket-handle arch bridges featuring a multi-use path. We led strategic communications throughout construction on this $1B, award-winning project.
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We knew a project of this magnitude with significant impacts on residents, businesses, and regional traffic, would require extensive and consistent communication. Building and sustaining public enthusiasm, as well as close coordination with local municipalities, businesses, and emergency services was key. We kicked off the project by planning and organizing a groundbreaking in June 2017 with governors of Iowa and Illinois, and coordinating informative public meetings attended by hundreds of residents. Our team also established and led regular coordination meetings and updates to ensure municipal staff, emergency services, schools, and major employers were informed of construction timelines and traffic impacts.
Our team built an outstanding online community on social media reaching hundreds of thousands of people by creating a mix of educational and fun posts as well as fostering trust through timely responses to questions and comments. In response to local drivers' unfamiliarity with some of the construction traffic configurations, our team launched successful educational campaigns for topics such as zipper merging, dual turn-lanes, and multi-year detours. Using our extensive media relations experience, our team assisted the state DOTs in navigating local, state, and national media outreach through construction successes and challenges.
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To build additional excitement around the project, Images, Inc. coordinated a traveling public exhibit featuring the I-74 River Bridge Virtual Reality Program, which was created through a partnership between Iowa DOT and Iowa State University to provide an immersive, 3D experience of the new bridge. Images, Inc. also established and coordinated a project Speakers Bureau which proved popular with hundreds of requests for presentations across Iowa and Illinois. In 2021, We coordinated a large-scale celebration on the new, award-winning bridge, which was attended by thousands of residents and visitors.
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Our seamless communications and innovative outreach methods fostered public trust and enabled the engineering and construction team to focus on navigating completion of this complex project.