Improving Construction Communication

Abstract

Data collected from Arizona Department of Transportation customers during the SR-51 project were examined. During the $75 million project, approximately 10 mi of SR-51 between I-10 and SR-101 was renovated to include new high-occupancy-vehicle lanes and rubberized asphalt. Communication was measured by customers’ (e.g., motorists’ as well as local residents’ and businesses’) utilization of four direct communication channels (e.g., construction signage) and four indirect communication channels (e.g., television programming). Satisfaction was measured by a composite score based on customer satisfaction with traffic, dust, noise, signage, and information during the construction process. Almost all respondents relied on at least one channel for construction communication, and almost 80% of respondents reported using between one and three channels. The most frequently used channel was construction signs (55.9%), and the least frequently used channel was e-mail alerts (1.5%). Fewer than 4% of the respondents did not use any communication channel. Direct communication channels resulted in higher customer satisfaction than did indirect communication channels. Construction bulletins contributed the most to customer satisfaction, followed by the project website. Neither television nor radio contributed to customer satisfaction. As sources of project communication, neighbors and friends had a strong but negative effect on customer satisfaction.