Public Relations for the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) U.S. 1/64

Public Relations for the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) U.S. 1/64 PDF

MMI Associates, Inc. Case Study – U.S.1/64
for the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT)

MMI Associates, Inc. develops solid marketing and public relations solutions that bring success to a company and enhance its reputation with the public. The art of public relations comes down to making the right impact on the right audience at the right time. Success for a company depends on not only being outstanding at what they do, but also making sure the word gets out.

For instance, MMI Associates, Inc. developed a public relations campaign for the N.C. Department of Transportation when they began the widening of a major roadway, U.S.1/64 in Cary, NC in January of 2005. This $58 million project is anticipated to be completed in late 2006 and will widen U.S.1/64 from south of the Interstate 40 interchange to the Tryon Road interchange. This roadway is a major corridor for those commuting into Raleigh from Cary and surrounding areas. Because this strip is also a hub for commercial and residential areas, a proactive effort was needed to inform motorists and residents of the NCDOT’s plans for different phases of the project.

MMI Associates was contracted to handle media relations and to organize various efforts to open the communication lines between the construction entities on the project and motorists. The firm developed a strategic public relations campaign to ensure that local motorists and those passing through would be aware of the most up-to-date traffic patterns.

In 2005 the U.S. Open was held in Pinehurst, NC and U.S. 1/64 was the major route of transportation for visitors flying into the Raleigh-Durham airport, then driving to the tournament. Because of this unusual influx of traffic, our firm made a concentrated plan to reduce the physical work done on the project during these days and communicate the traffic patterns and work schedule through local media outlets and the project Web site.

Since major residential developments have built along U.S. 1/64 in the 10 years prior to this new construction, MMI Associates knew that construction noise was going to be a big issue for those living near the project. Our firm launched a proactive campaign to inform residents about the level of construction noise and equated the noise produced by construction equipment to normal noises that residents were familiar with, such as a lawn mower. By planning and taking a proactive approach to the issue of construction noise, we were able to educate the residents, which encouraged positive public perception of the project, and to help improve the image of our client, the NCDOT.

In addition to media relations tactics, MMI leveraged media coverage and public meetings to help inform key stakeholders about construction plans, which gave the public opportunities to meet with project engineers and learn first hand the importance of the work being done along with the actual plans for construction.

The development of a widened US1/64 roadway will be a major improvement to one of the most traveled strips of roadway in the Raleigh-Durham Area. The efforts of MMI Associates and the NCDOT to communicate the benefits of such a renovation, despite its short-term complications, were one of the project’s biggest successes. With this project MMI Associates has improved public involvement and media relations for traffic construction projects.