1. TransComm 2015 Skills Contest Category: Issues/Crisis Management Communications Kris Rietmann Assistant Communications Director Washington State Department of Transportation

2. 2 The following spring, Seattle Tunnel Partners, the contractor responsible for the project, issued an aggressive repair plan to get Bertha running again. The plan involved engineering and building a 120- foot-deep pit just ahead of Bertha, then driving her into the reinforced pit. Once the machine’s cutting head was exposed, a custom-built crane would lift its 2,000-ton front end to the surface for repairs. Simulation showing STP’s repair plan. Additional repair graphics. Bertha

3. The challenge: How to communicate accurately and effectively about the repair effort amid tremendous scrutiny from the media, the public and elected officials? How to highlight project progress while remaining transparent about schedule delays? How to demonstrate that WSDOT is protecting taxpayers from additional costs incurred during the delays? How to communicate accurately and effectively about the repair effort amid tremendous scrutiny from the media, the public and elected officials? How to highlight project progress while remaining transparent about schedule delays? How to demonstrate that WSDOT is protecting taxpayers from additional costs incurred during the delays? 3

4. Be transparent: Provide timely and accurate information on the project No surprises: Remain the best source for information on the project; keep elected officials informed and committed to completing the project Reinforce that progress is being made toward successful repairs and project completion Be clear about roles: Communicate clearly about WSDOT’s responsibilities and those of the contractor The WSDOT communications team responded by owning the project story and keeping public trust by being the first and best source of information. In a period of crisis, the agency took advantage of the public’s appetite for information to tell its story repeatedly, across multiple channels. The objectives: Crews weld the machine’s cutterhead as part of the repair effort. Bertha’s 2,000-ton front end is lifted to the surface for repairs on March 30, 2015. The SR 99 tunnel will replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle. 4

5. WSDOT identified the messages that would carry the program through the repair process: The contractor – not the public – is responsible for repairing the tunneling machine and completing the project The tunnel contract is structured to protect Washington taxpayers Progress is being made on the project, even as the repair effort continues WSDOT wants the contractor to get the repairs right and resume mining as quickly as possible, but the agency cannot verify the contractor’s repair schedule 5 The use of consistent messaging maintained the agency’s credibility through challenging times. WSDOT Program Administrator Todd Trepanier briefs Seattle City Councilmembers.

6. 6 Public tours from our award- winning information center were rerouted to include the repair area.award- winning information center Installing time-lapse cameras offered web visitors a live look at the repair effort.time-lapse cameras Our narrated animation on YouTube explained the repair process in detail. View this and other videos on YouTube or in.wmv format.narrated animation on YouTubeYouTube.wmv format We maintained an active dialogue with the public via proactive media relations, our website, Twitter and Flickr.website TwitterFlickr. From April 2014 to March 2015 3.1 million Twitter impressions 94,953 Twitter engagements 766,305 website unique views 406,941 Flickr photo views 201,951 views on YouTube 45,563 unique e-mail opens 13,395 visitors to information center 640 tour participants

7. 7 The project website had three times as many unique visitors than average during March 30 front-end lift Twitter during March 30 front-end lift 220,698 impressions or 75 percent of March total

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10. 10 “It’s also useful to remember that [WSDOT] hired Seattle Tunnel Partners with a design-build contract intended to minimize taxpayer risk.” – Seattle Times, 1/6/15 “It’s also useful to remember that [WSDOT] hired Seattle Tunnel Partners with a design-build contract intended to minimize taxpayer risk.” – Seattle Times, 1/6/15 "Bertha's short journey through the wall of its rescue pit was relatively problem free, and Seattle Tunnel Partners Project Manager Chris Dixon expressed confidence about the steps ahead." -Puget Sound Business Journal, 2/19/15 “STP has already proved it could get Bertha into the vault, despite many skeptics who said the machine might fail to make it through.” – Seattle Times, 3/8/15 “The repair itself qualifies as a megaproject.” – Seattle Times, 3/8/15