For major infrastructure changes that impact everyday realities for commuters and travelers, it is more important than ever to win public support with a strong public outreach strategy. EarthCam's industry leading webcam documentation tools and AI time lapse video editing technology can make it easy to clearly demonstrate to the public how much hard work, planning, and complexity goes into a project.
The I-74 River Bridge project has shown that the process of keeping the local community in the loop with up-to-date live imagery and time-lapse content gives them a sense of ownership and involvement with construction, even when commutes are altered by the pandemic and uncertainty around travel is commonplace.
EarthCam has provided the webcam technology for the I-74 Mississippi River Bridge project, which is part of an overall plan to improve the I-74 corridor from Moline, Illinois to Davenport, Iowa. EarthCam is documenting the $1.2 billion project, including replacement of the I-74 bridges over the Mississippi as well as interchange ramp reconfiguration and local roadway improvements. EarthCam's live cameras have been keeping the community involved in the ground-up construction progress every step of the way, which has been a key component of public outreach for the project, led by Images Inc. for the Iowa and Illinois DOTs.
"Webcams and live video feeds of construction on the I-74 River Bridge project have had a tremendous positive impact, allowing the public to appreciate and feel a part of the hard work that goes into building the structure," said Tracy Morse, President/CEO at Images Inc., whose company is leading the public outreach for the I-74 corridor project. "Not only that, we’ve noticed that webcams and other photo documentation boost the excitement of those constructing the project.”
When the surrounding community is acquainted with the details of the project and can share in the visual documentation of the work, they feel a heightened sense of ownership and pride. This inevitably has a positive impact on morale for the construction teams involved.
“We all feel this bridge is ‘our bridge’ because we have watched it go up like a puzzle," said Martha G., Quad Cities resident. "You’re doing a good job guys, enjoy watching your hard work!"
"I love how much documentation is going into this project. Makes me feel like I’m a part of it almost,” said Brian J., another Quad Cities resident.
EarthCam is able to document years of construction for projects of any size and showcase it within minutes using cutting-edge time-lapse production techniques. While there is still some time until the first car drives over the new I-74 bridge, camera technology continues to help the community feel like they are part of the journey.
See a 4K timelapse video of the last 112-ton piece of the arch for the new westbound I-74 bridge being set in place.
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Editor's Note: Scranton Gillette Communications and the SGC Infrastructure Group are not liable for the accuracy, efficacy and validity of the claims made in this piece. The views expressed in this content do not reflect the position of the Roads & Bridges' Editorial Team.
