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2013 AASHTO Annual Meeting

Arizona Department of TransportationBrock Barnhart, Assistant Communications Director

October 20, 2013

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Five Key Things That Must Exist to Ensure Your Agency Enjoys a Robust Public Involvement – Communications Programs.

CooperationCollaborationCommunicationCreativityPartnership

Five Key Elements

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US 89 LandslideFebruary 20, 2013

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Cooperation / Coordination:

Established an office in City of Page city hall that was staffed twice a week to provide a convenient resource for the local community.

ADOT representative spent one day a week in the Navajo Nation's Bodaway Gap Community to be available to answer questions.

The actual landslide occurred on a stretch of highway on the Navajo Nation, and -- in an area with little redundancy of travel routes -- effectively cut off travel between two neighboring communities. Substantial and sustained efforts were taken to communicate with local communities.

Personal visits are made regularly to surrounding communities, tourist attractions and businesses spread over several miles on either side of the landslide.

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Collaboration:

• Coordination meetings routinely held with the Page City Council, Coconino County Board of Supervisors, Navajo Division of Transportation, Navajo Nation agencies and tribal chapters. Coordination and outreach activities also extend into Utah (City of Kanab).

• Maximized partnerships with Arizona Highways magazine, Arizona Department of Tourism and AAA Arizona to spread the word that these major tourist destinations remained accessible.

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Communication:Initial Communication ChallengesSix hours from Phoenix, very limited media accessCoincided with large snow stormLimited cell phone access, difficult to get immediate informationSlide located on the Navajo Nation: language barriers, environmental and cultural sensitivities

Immediate Communication EffortsRelied heavily on social media to reach traditional mediaThree ADOT Communications staff members and Deputy State Engineer flown to siteBegan immediate coordination with state, tribal and local officials and neighboring states.

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Creativity:ADOT sustained social engagement since the event, creating videos and blogs to provide updates and responding to travel-related inquiries.

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Creativity: ADOT Blog series “Transportation Defined”

utilized to more fully explain many of the complicated terms and processes associated with the geological assessment and the project process.

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Partnership:

Continual partnering sessions were held to involve decision makers from several different agencies, jurisdictions and groups.A long standing tribal government to agency partnership provided a strong foundation to streamline elements of project delivery and clearances.

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Thank You!