Livestreaming a Crisis on I-95

It’s every toddler’s dream.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation posted a livestream of the reconstruction happening at a section of I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia. Construction crews are working around the clock, and you can watch it all in real time.

The rebuilding follows a tanker truck crash and fire that caused a bridge to collapse on Sunday, creating traffic headaches for countless residents and commuters and prompting state and local authorities to spring to action responding to the crisis.

That crisis response has made the livestream a centerpiece of its communications and messaging.

A livestream is a 24/7 webcam feed shared on a website in real time.

As video quality and editing capabilities have improved across the web, the humble livestream has lost some of its luster. (Don’t worry – Giant Panda Cam is still going strong.) At the same time, platforms like Twitch and YouTube have become go-to destinations for creators and niche audiences to connect.

Bridging the Messaging Gap

For PennDOT, the livestream is an ideal communications tool. It’s quick and cheap to set up and doesn’t require a lot of tending to.

What’s more, it conveys the key takeaways from its messaging – urgency and transparency. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has promised crews will work 24 hours a day to rebuild. Anyone who wants to check that commitment can pull up the webcam.

It also bought officials some time by creating a fresh news hook for outlets desperate to cover the project as experts determine the best way to rebuild.

We often say that in crisis, speed counts.

That applies to the initial response and all the work and messaging that comes after it. Governor Shapiro took about a week to establish a timeline for repairs. During that time, he backed up “as quickly as possible” with messaging tactics like the livestream and good PR about trucking in recycled materials with a police escort.

Governor Shapiro has also made himself the face of the project, with an active social media presence sharing updates about the project and the livestream. “I’m competitive as hell — and we’re working around the clock to rebuild and repair I-95,” one Shapiro tweet reads.