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October 1, 2007

DOT directing motorists to podcasts for 195 updates

PROVIDENCE -- The relocation of Route 195 should drive motorists into the 21st century, and the state Department of Transportation is using a 21st-century method to signal the change.

The state DOT posted the first in a series of podcasts, multimedia files distributed over the Internet, on its Web site today to inform drivers about the Iway, which is expected to open in part by the end of this month.

The relocation project, called the Iway will provide a new interchange between Routes 95 and Route 195 in Providence across the new Providence River Bridge. Two lanes -- bringing traffic from Route 95 north onto Route 195 east -- are scheduled to open by the end of this month.

According to the DOT, the project will make it safer and easier to travel between Route 195 and Route 95. The current interchange was designed in the 1950s when 75,000 cars and trucks traveled it daily. It's now gets twice as much traffic.

The DOT has produced 12 podcasts, six in English and six in Spanish. They are like mini-documentaries running about three minutes each. The first two podcasts provide an overview on the project and then more information on design and construction. Drivers can safely travel over unfinished portions of the project, thanks to computer-generated simulation.

Dana Alexander Nolfe, chief public affairs officer for the DOT, says the department expects the podcasts to reach a younger audience, one that doesn't rely as much on traditional media.

"Teens and 20-somethings embrace technology and these podcasts will allow RIDOT to reach out to them with new media and do something no DOT has done before," she said.

She said the podcasts cost $7,500 each to produce. The department will also use traditional means, such as television and newspapers, to spread the word.

In addition to the DOT's Web site, the podcasts will be available on Blinkx, http://www.blinkx.com/, iTunes, www.apple.com/iTunes and on YouTube, YouTube.

Posted by Jack Perry  at 2:15 PM | Permalink

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