Big I Reconstruction Project
“We’re All In This Fix Together!”

In 2000, Cooney, Watson & Associates, Inc. was selected by the New Mexico State Highway & Transportation Department (now the New Mexico Department of Transportation) to assist with community involvement, community relations and transportation demand management communications for the 24-month, $283 million reconstruction of the intersection of Interstate Highway 25 and Interstate Highway 40 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Challenges

Our challenges included educating the public on the need for reconstruction of the state’s busiest interchange serving more than 300,000 cars per day; forming positive relationships with stakeholders: city, police, media, truckers, EMT, commuters, neighborhoods and the business community; and empowering the public to make their own transportation decisions

Materials created from the campaign included a television special, “Rebuilding the Big I,” which aired in prime time; a 30-minute follow-up video — “Building Public Trust and Confidence;” weekly fax/e-mail updates and construction bulletins to 1,500 individuals and businesses; construction site tours; monthly meetings with affected neighborhoods and businesses; presentations tocivic and community groups, and neighborhoods; and nine special events, including a groundbreaking, halfway celebration and completion party that involved more than 5,000 guests and partners.

Results

Upon the project’s completion in May 2002 (one month early), we recorded:

• 667 presentations to 13,480 participants
• More than 10,000 members of the Commuter’s Club/ACT Now program
• Distribution of 20,605 copies of the Big I information tabloid
• Distribution of 27,757 Big I brochures
• 94 project tours involving nearly 1,000 participants
• 2,833 Big I Hotline calls with response to 255 complaints
• 6,230,356 website hits
• $1,174,897.22 in earned print coverage
• $1,360,760.70 in earned television coverage
• Total of $2.53 million in earned media (excluding radio)

Materials developed
for this campaign:

• Logos
• Website and webcam
• Television specials
• Weekly Community outreach
• Construction bulletins
• Special events