Using technology for enhanced public communication Laura S. Cabiness, P.E. Director, Department of Public Service City of Charleston, South Carolina Member, APWA Engineering and Technology Committee echnology related to communication is moving ahead with blazing speed. It wasn’t long ago that public engagement required expensive mailings, costly ads to notify the public, and press releases in which we hoped the information was interesting enough to have the local media disseminate the information. Certainly these outlets still have their place but new electronic media offers new possibilities to provide information, receive feedback, and engage a greater audience with minimal cost and significant control by creating your own message. A well-informed public can be an asset. A constituency without sufficient information will try to fill that knowledge void with information from their own resources, often with disastrous results. Social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter have gained widespread momentum and are crossing generational age groups. This and more options such as web page publishing and e-mail distribution lists make regular communication with the public more extensive and affordable than before. By now most everyone is familiar with the major social media outlets. Many people have used them in their personal lives to communicate with family and reconnect with classmates and friends from long ago. These same outlets can be used to promote public projects, solicit feedback, and provide current updates on project progress, impacts to the public and other information that can help the public cope with the difficulties faced by the construction of major projects. 30 APWA Reporter
June 2012
In 2011 the City of Charleston, South Carolina, began construction on the first phase of a drainage improvement project along a six-lane urban highway that currently serves more than 60,000 vehicles per day. Due to the high traffic volume during peak hours the majority of the work was restricted to nighttime hours, but a portion of the work involved construction of a median wall in the center of the roadway which was just not practical during nighttime hours alone. The City had to claim the two center lanes for a six-month period in order to get the median constructed, reducing the lanes’ capacity by 33% while this construction was taking place. This meant that the public had to be advised that there would be
delays while travelling on this road during peak hours and that alternate routes should be considered. Through multiple outlets the City provided information on the lane closures and alternate routes. When the time came for the lane closures the lane reduction resulted in only minor increases to travel time and these diminished as new traffic patterns became established. A well-informed public was able to adjust to the impact of construction. From the onset of the project the contractor prepared a “two week look ahead.” Minor edits are made to prepare the message to be posted from the City. It is distributed to an e-mail list developed at public meetings.
An added benefit of the Facebook page is that the updates are presented in a timeline format that creates a chronology of the updates and makes it available to the public.
