| OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program |
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| Web Brief (Jun 06) |
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Delivering information where people live and work.
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Zetlin fosters community engagement on bridge program projects
Construction in Oregon will reach record levels over the next four to five years, due in large part to ODOT’s OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program. The bridge program has created business-development opportunities for dozens of small companies, including a team of Portland women who make sure the public is informed when bridge work closes lanes or creates construction delays.
Zetlin Strategic Communications Inc. is a Portland-based communications consulting firm specializing in public involvement, a growing practice that engages and informs the public prior to, during and after major public works projects. On the bridge program, Zetlin’s work begins in the design phase by soliciting public input on bridge design standards and preparing communities, local businesses and motorists for any delays or detours.
Zetlin opened its Portland office in April 2004, hoping to capitalize on work generated by the bridge program.
“The potential opportunities for work on the bridge program really encouraged us when we opened our office,” said Regional Director Lois Cohen. “Especially in the first six to eight months, our office existed to a considerable extent because of our work on the bridge program.”
Since then, Zetlin has subcontracted with seven major engineering firms to provide public involvement services on eight bridge program projects statewide.
Mobility is the firm’s primary concern. If a bridge project means people can’t get to work the way they normally do, or that goods may not get delivered as quickly as usual, Zetlin makes sure that people have the facts they need to make their plans.
Some of Zetlin’s most challenging and rewarding public involvement contracts have been on projects in rural Oregon, where standard communication practices aren’t always as effective.
Zetlin overcomes these obstacles by using alternative communication channels, including Spanish radio, and visiting people where they live and work to deliver information, invite them to provide input, and address their concerns and questions.
ODOT needed Zetlin’s creativity when contractors revealed a temporary closure was necessary to replace the Saginaw Bridge in Cottage Grove. The Saginaw Bridge is part of a larger project to repair one bridge and replace three on Interstate 5 between Eugene and Cottage Grove. The bridge is on a route frequented by trucks carrying manufactured homes from a local manufacturer, and goods from a nearby Foster Farms plant, Westwood Lumber Co. and local farms. This freight route is crucial to the local economy.
“Before the engineering firm, TY Lin, finalized closure plans, we wanted to get the input of community members, so we had to identify everyone who used that bridge,” Cohen said. “We planned an open house and used newspaper ads to help spread the word, and canvassed the area by car and foot.”
Zetlin and TY Lin held the public open house event at a Cottage Grove elementary school to ensure community members were informed and to answer questions and resolve concerns.
Before the open house, two special project meetings were held to reach a slightly younger stakeholder group: the students of Delight Valley Elementary School. At two kid-friendly meetings, TY Linn and Zetlin met with approximately 70 students and their teachers to talk about the importance of the $15.3 million project, and answer questions about bridge construction and careers in engineering, construction and communications.
Later, despite an unseasonable snow storm, 35 community members showed up to provide input and get project information. After bridge engineers and ODOT project managers provided details on the project, the community agreed to a three-month bridge closure and requested that nearby I-5 on and off ramps remain open.
“More than 3,000 vehicles travel over the Saginaw overpass every day, so this will be a very high-profile project for the families in this community,” said Leslie Hildula, Zetlin’s regional manager. “It was important to engage all stakeholders, no matter how young they are. Plus, taking advantage of the team’s on-hand expertise was a great way to provide an educational opportunity for the children.”
Zetlin, a certified disadvantaged and woman-owned business enterprise, has contracts to work on eight bridge program projects in the coming year, geographically spread across the state from La Grande to Ashland to Springfield.
“The bridge program has provided us with an incredible business opportunity and has allowed us to develop wonderful relationships with people and companies across the state,” Cohen said. “It has given us the credentials and the experience to compete.”
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