Developing strategies for successful communication at public meetings and open houses to enhance the conceptual understanding and awareness of need and purpose, transportation deficiencies, and consequences of not implementing improvements associated with GDOT’s proposed Work program.

Details

• Creators:
  Maghiar, Marcel ; Aasheim, Cheryl ; Kowalewski, Jennifer ; Maldonado, Gustavo
• Corporate Creators:
  Georgia Southern University. Department of Civil Engineering and Construction Management
• Corporate Contributors:
  Georgia. Department of Transportation. Office of Research ; United States. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Adopt-a-highway Programs Bridge Construction Community Action Programs GDOT Work Program Highway Maintenance Messaging Strategies News Media Open Houses Pavement Maintenance Public Input Public Opinion Public Participation Road Construction State Highway Departments

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA-GA-17-1518
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Georgia ; United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  Georgia. Department of Transportation. Office of Research
• Abstract:
  The research project’s purpose was to determine the most effective strategies, methods, and formats to inform the public about Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) Work Program. The researchers investigated the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) and other state DOTs to determine what methods to employ for best practices to get public involvement. The project also looked to mass communication scholars to determine better ways to get public input and understanding, which is integral to the work done by GDOT. The study is providing an actual guide outlining better ways to present information in order to inform the public about GDOT’s Work Program. The guide is inclusive of tools, visual formats, and strategies for the GDOT to provide the public with concise, understandable messaging in user-friendly formats, and to present approaches for keen invitations to comment and feedback as early as possible in the project life. As other state DOTs were examined, the conceptual guide recommends some best practices and successful strategies for improving content of meetings. After many individuals were surveyed for trust and knowledge about GDOT projects, recommendations were proposed to improve their participation in Public Meetings and Open Houses. Agenda setting and agenda building findings from the news media practitioners’ interviews allowed researchers to recommend effective options for preparation of GDOT news to media. Finally, systematic messaging strategies and measures were recommended to determine the success of the strategies along with tactics for early public involvement in the planning process.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  RP 15-18 / 0013245
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:0270c5db8e4c9db62bae585a72143f1cfc0b84fc5ffcb20769473fc34bf42c6c
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/32778/dot_32778_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.56 MB ]