Mississippi Department of Transportation
Paul Katool
Digital Media Manager
Mississippi Department of Transportation - Public Affairs
Jackson
Mississippi
Social Media Outreach (Nonpaid)
Interstate 20 Closure Social Media Campaign
Mississippi Department of Transportation
Paul Katool
Waverly McCarthy, Social Media Strategist

Michael Flood, Public Information Officer

Purpose:

The purpose of the social media campaign was to communicate to key publics about the closure of Interstate 20 in Hinds County, a major interstate in the Southeast. Over 90,000 vehicles use the affected section of roadway daily. MDOT leadership was concerned that the large-scale bridge repair project could potentially cause major delays and impact safety. Through social media, MDOT Public Affairs hoped to raise awareness about the closure, communicate detour routes and provide updates throughout the project.

Goals/Objectives:

Generate 200,000 social media impressions

Generate 25,000 social media engagements

Make 75 social media posts related to the closure
Commercial vehicles

Local commuters

First responders

General traveling public

Trade associations

Traveling public in four main affected counties (Hinds, Madison, Rankin, Warren)

90,000 motorists who use affected section of I-20 daily

Travelers throughout the Southeast

Major employers (medical centers, state government, etc.)

Local county and city officials and government

Schools
Purpose

Thanks to the effectiveness of the social media campaign, people were aware of the closure, planned ahead and used detour routes. According to MDOT engineers, major impacts to traffic and crashes related to the work were avoided. The lack of issues also played a role in the project finishing up two days early. Furthermore, MDOT received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the public on the closure via social media messages and comments.

Goals/Objectives

• 833,520 impressions, 316% increase from goal
• 45,081 engagements, 80% increase from goal
• 147 posts, 96% increase from goal
Contractor could begin project any time within a given time period, meaning MDOT Public Affairs had little
advance notice before putting social media plan into action.

Social Media Strategist, a project lead, started less than a month before closure.

Innovatively used Nextdoor to target affected counties, effectively geotargeting without an ad spend. This helped to save taxpayer dollars.

Challenged to communicate two alternative routes, one for local traffic and another for commercial vehicles.

Communication of this information was extremely important because MDOT engineers predicted severe impacts to traffic due to detour routes.

Limited budget and staff to execute large-scale project.
The temporary closure of Interstate 20 in Hinds County for bridge repairs meant potentially severe impacts to traffic along a major east-west corridor in the Southeast. A strategic social media plan by MDOT Public Affairs communicated key information to the public, helping travelers avoid major delays and ensuring their safety.