The Kleinfelder Blog

After more than a decade of dedicated effort, the Kleinfelder Construction Services (KCS) Public Relations team is celebrating the successful closeout of Orange County Transportation Authority’s (OCTA) I-405 Improvement Project. This milestone marks the culmination of a 12-year journey to transform one of California’s busiest freeways. KCS served as the prime public outreach consultant for OCTA on this important infrastructure project.

“Working on the I-405 Improvement Project alongside OCTA has been one of the public relations team’s biggest accomplishments and successful ventures for over a decade,” commented Project Manager Anna Finlay. “To reach the conclusion of this journey and mark it with a successful closeout is a testament to our staff and our relationship with the client, both of which I am incredibly proud.”

Long after the excitement of the dedication event in December 2023, KCS remained committed to the project’s strategic close out. The team crafted and implemented a comprehensive wind-down plan for a smooth transition of tasks to OCTA and Caltrans. Working alongside the project contractor, KCS scheduled all post-construction surveys at residents’ homes, gathering essential feedback on completed work. The team thoughtfully wound down community communications in a phased approach, including the project helpline, social media channels, email blasts, call and text alerts, and daily closure lists, providing clear updates on the project’s final stages. Behind the scenes, daily coordination with the technical and management teams kept all stakeholders fully apprised of punch list items, their resolution statuses, and any remaining community impacts. To cap off a 12-year journey, KCS worked closely with OCTA to guarantee a seamless, coordinated hand-off of more than a decade’s worth of project files.

Connecting Communities

Throughout the project lifecycle, a key driver was building trust in the communities of Seal Beach, Westminster, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, and surrounding cities. The project team focused on a consistent, honest, and transparent approach to two-way communication. Led by Project Manager Anna Finlay and Deputy Project Manager Joey Fernandez, the team utilized a variety of outreach tactics, such as a 24/7 constituent correspondence helpline and email to help ensure rapid, reliable responses; in-person and virtual neighborhood meetings; targeted stakeholder briefings; and a genuine commitment to listen and address concerns. Dedicated Community Liaisons Jessica Ochoa and Anthony Lopez served as familiar faces, helping to forge authentic relationships. To further strengthen community ties, the team curated a database of over 14,000 contacts, distributing project updates on a weekly, and at times daily, basis to keep the community informed, connected, and engaged.

Accolades and Innovative Solutions

Over the course of the Project, KCS earned 29 industry awards for OCTA from local Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) chapters and the California Association of Public Information Officers (CAPIO). Some of the award-winning tactics included:

• Location-based advertising campaigns with a total of more than 4.1 million views
• Inside the 405 – A nine-part video series used to showcase project progress, introduce construction crews, and highlight community outreach efforts with local businesses and partners
• 405 Forward – A partnership between OCTA and 228 local small businesses impacted by construction activities to help promote their services and products around the community through advertising and awareness
• Waze for Cities partnership to provide real-time traffic alerts and planned construction updates to Waze and Google Maps users

“We are so proud of the innovations and forward thinking that garnered various industry awards for our client and for our team,” said Deputy Project Manager Joey Fernandez. “Seeing our innovative tactics woven through the lifecycle of this project and now serve as a standard for OCTAs transportation projects, is a pride that is indescribable.”