Regan Conley Communications
Port Authority of NY and NJ: Goethals Bridge Replacement
A creative introduction captured the essential messages from several thousand pages and years of work on a $1.4-billion bridge proposal
Replacing the Goethals Bridge between Staten Island and New Jersey was the Port Authority’s first design-build-finance-maintain public-private partnership (P3) project. They needed confidence that the winning team shared their long-term goals. The proposal manager wanted an explanation of the "Efficient, Exceptional, Enduring" theme for the inside front of the binders. However, as the first thing most reviewers would read, the front matter was a chance to make an impact and reinforce the messaging.
Project Services
Proposal messaging
& win themes
Proposal writer & editor
Topic development
& story creation
Markets
Design-build-finance-maintain
Public-private partnership
SOQs & RFPs
Bridge construction
Infrastructure
Heavy civil construction
Fortune 500
New York
Approach
I joined the proposal team as they put the finishing touches on more than two years of work and a final proposal that was several volumes and thousands of pages. In addition to overall editing support for the final document, I wrote the front matter.
A practical definition would have met the brief, but I chose to create a stronger opening message that immediately let the Port Authority know we shared their goal for an iconic project. The Christopher Wren quote reflected the design-build team’s passion for creating something exceptional and enduring.
Results
Rather than just a few sentences defining a theme, the quote created a memorable moment of drama that reinforced the messaging, letting reviewers know the team understood what mattered to the Port Authority.
The team won the $1.4 billion project.