Communicating with the Customer:
NYSDOT’s Drivers First Initiative
Presentation to NASTO | Portland, Maine | June 10, 2013
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Drivers First Mission
Prioritize the convenience of motorists and ensure that
disruptions are as minimal as possible to drivers at
highway and bridge projects across the state.
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Drivers First Does Not Mean
“Safety Second”
 Reinforce
the initiative’s message. Safety is never
compromised!
 Build on actions already in place that include
driver convenience.
 Strengthen internal communication.
 Improve active traffic management.
 Keep developing mechanisms to communicate
better with the driving public.
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Communication
Opportunities
 Reviewed




existing practices:
Public Information Officer Survey
NYSDOT web-enabled project
information
511NY usage
NYSDOT’s use of social media
 Surveyed
the traveling public
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Communication Recommendations
 Adopt
a communication protocol
for press releases (completed)
 Develop
additional protocols for
web-enabled project information
 Pilot/expand
social media, using
Facebook and Twitter statewide
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Kosciuszko Bridge
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Project Location
LaGuardia Airport
Kosciuszko
Bridge
Brooklyn
Bridge
QUEENS
Manhattan
Bridge
Brooklyn
Battery
Tunnel
Kennedy Airport
BROOKLYN
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Project Context
View of Brooklyn
View of Queens
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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K-Bridge: Public Outreach
Program Approach

Educate and involve the Stakeholders and Constituents in
technical and community issues
 Use diverse and timely information-sharing
 Provide accessible dedicated outreach staff
 Engage traditional and nontraditional transportation
constituencies
 Time-Patience-Lots of hard work!
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Comprehensive Public
Outreach Program

More than 60 meetings with elected officials,
community boards, civic organizations, residents and
community groups
 More than 30 meetings/site visits to local businesses prior to
final design
 More than 50 agency coordination meetings (federal, state,
city) and several meetings of the project’s Interagency
Advisory Committee (IAAC)
 More than 40 meetings with the project’s Stakeholders
Advisory Committee (SAC) – the centerpiece of the
Outreach Program since 2002
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Public Outreach
Program to Date
 Community bus tours (3)
 Large public forums at project benchmarks
 Scoping meetings (2)
 Public hearings (2)
 Open houses (11)
 Widespread information-sharing
(multilingual to reach a maximum audience)
 Newsletters and fact sheets
 FAQs documents
 Website – www.dot.ny.gov/kbridge
 Correspondence and other mailings
 Project repositories
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Stakeholders
Advisory Committee
 Includes more than 40 elected officials, community boards, neighborhood
groups, civic organizations, residents, business interests and regional
transportation organizations
 The centerpiece of the Outreach Program
 Provides a “reality check” to NYSDOT
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Public Outreach Results

Skepticism and wariness replaced by collaboration and
community support
 Trust: A partnership emerged with stakeholders and
constituents who were initially reluctant to work with
NYSDOT and with each other
 Strong agency commitment to ongoing partnering
 Dedicated stakeholders
 Honest communications
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Looking Ahead – Construction
 Continue
coordination with SAC and its
subcommittees (Parks, Local Workforce)
 Continue
interagency coordination, including with
IAAC
 Modify
extensive community information program
– such as updates on staging, scheduling and
progress; notices on special conditions; and
upcoming work
 Honor
previous commitments by providing fulltime, on-site community liaison amid construction
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Prospect Mountain
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Prospect Mountain
71,000 AADT
(current)
80,000 AADT(+10 yr)
60,000 AADT (current)
66,000AADT(+10 yr)
70,000 AADT
(current)
78,000 AADT(+10 yr)
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Phase 1
NEW BRIDGES OVER
CHENANGO RIVER
CONSTRUCT BRIDGE OVER
CHENANGO STREET FOR
FUTURE LANES
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Full Build-Out
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Communication
Strategies
 VMS
and Highway Advisory Radio on site
 Press releases and interviews
 Public meetings/group meetings
 Dedicated community liaison at the
construction field office
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Communication
Strategies
 Coordinate
with those managing trafficgenerating events.
 Work with media on closure alerts.
 Post signed detours for motorists and have
shuttle buses for pedestrians and cyclists
during closures.
 Limit hours of construction.
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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www.facebook.com/Prospect.Mountain.Project.
www.twitter.com/prospectmtn.
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Summary
 Continuous,
multifaceted communication with
customers is vital.
 Use
of traditional and nontraditional
communication, especially expanded use of social
media, can widen the reach to more customers.
 Information
helps manage expectations, building
support and trust.
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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Thank you!
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | JOAN McDONALD COMMISSIONER | ANDREW M. CUOMO GOVERNOR
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