The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has received two national awards for its public outreach efforts on major transportation projects. The recognition came during the annual meeting of TransComm, the communications committee for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), which represents state departments of transportation across the country.
ADOT’s Office of Communications and Public Involvement was honored for its work on two significant projects. The first award recognized the public involvement approach taken with a consultant for the I-17 Improvement Project. This project focused on 23 miles of Interstate 17 between Anthem Way and Sunset Point. The public involvement team used various tools, outreach methods, and visual storytelling to inform and engage audiences about both the widening portion of the project and Arizona’s first flex lanes system. Their campaign aimed to keep the public updated on progress and milestones during daily construction.
The second award was given in AASHTO’s highest category for public relations programs, honoring ADOT’s efforts on the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project. This project involved reconstruction along 11 miles of one of Phoenix’s busiest stretches of I-10. ADOT used both traditional and non-traditional outreach strategies, including a paid advertising campaign and a free mobile app—both firsts for an ADOT freeway construction project—to provide updates throughout four years of construction.
“This year’s annual TransComm conference in Chicago included more than 200 transportation communicators representing all of the state DOTs. The conference includes a yearly awards ceremony, with each category representing the best transportation projects around the country and the communications strategies and tactics that make them stand out. Each category is voted on by communication teams from the state DOTs.”
ADOT Communications and Public Involvement supports various agency priorities through outreach activities such as news media relations, safety communications, social media engagement, graphics and video production, website design, internal communications, constituent services, employee engagement, and recognition.
