2023 Competition for Communicating Concepts with the Public Winners Announced
2023 Competition Theme: Planning & Projects, Policy and Operations
Why don’t they understand? Transportation professionals often find it challenging to communicate critical transportation topics to a non-technical audience. Since 2007, TRB’s annual competition on Communicating Concepts with the Public has been highlighting best practices in public involvement. The 2023 competition sought entries in three categories: Planning & Projects, Policy, and Operations.
Four entries were selected for the competition showcase for their exemplary communications efforts, as well as two honorable mentions. The communications tools and techniques they used epitomize the spirit of communicating complex information in an uncomplicated manner. View the handout highlighting all the winners here.
Competition winners at 2024 TRB Annual Meeting
Competition Winner
Arizona Department of Transportation’s I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project Ready to Rubble: The Ultimate Bridge Takedown Event
In metropolitan Phoenix, the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project by the Arizona Department of Transportation is the state's largest urban freeway reconstruction effort. To provide insight into road infrastructure construction and demolition, an event in early 2023 engaged drivers, stakeholders, and students.
The project involved removing three bridges over one weekend, necessitating a full shutdown of adjacent major freeways near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Recognizing this as a unique educational opportunity, the ADOT team seized the chance to inform and engage the public and stakeholders in the bridge removal process.
ADOT created an experience that gave its stakeholders an amazing view of the bridges being removed as well as access to project leadership, engineers, and partners to ask questions and get a lesson in the history of the project and what it takes to rebuild such a critical connection for the region, while keep traffic flowing.
Competition Runner Up
Overcoming the Fear of Change through Communication and Temporary Pavement Striping
State DOTs often struggle to convey a project's impact on road infrastructure during public meetings, especially when concerns about parking loss and political involvement arise. In 2014, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) faced opposition to a road diet project in a small town, leading to its cancellation. Five years later, still plagued by congestion and safety issues, the same road needed repaving. KYTC, in collaboration with local officials, temporarily implemented a road diet to gauge public sentiment, allowing road users to experience the changes firsthand before public meetings, enhancing understanding of the road diet's potential effects.
Competition Runner Up
Metro’s Experience LIVE! – Engagement for the Better Bus Network Redesign
Metro launched the first-of-its-kind public and stakeholder engagement initiative called Experience LIVE! in Spring 2023. The initiative was part of Metro’s Bus Network Redesign, which is just one component of the Better Bus initiative to transform bus service in the national capital region. Metro’s Experience LIVE! included 63 public events in 62 days and numerous innovative approaches that helped Metro conduct high-quality engagement with over 20,000 customers and collect over 8,000 comments on the draft Visionary Network.
Competition Runner Up
Transportation Modernization Act Communications Campaign
TDOT partnered with HNTB to launch "Build With Us," a successful campaign supporting the Transportation Modernization Act (TMA). The TMA brings fundamental changes to project delivery and secures future revenue for TDOT. This historic legislation passed rapidly with bipartisan support, introducing new project delivery methods and Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) for Choice Lanes while ensuring parity for electric and combustion engine vehicles, thanks to the effective communications and engagement campaign.
