Project Overview

A Bridges Across America banner project is something that almost any motivated individual or small group can accomplish. With thoughtful planning and preparation, you can create a powerful local expression of support that reaches thousands of people each time the banners are deployed.

This page provides an overview of the entire process and introduces the resource guides that will help you successfully plan, produce, and deploy your banner display. These same guides are available for download in the Resource Guides page.

The Five-Step Process

Every Bridges Across America banner project follows the same five basic steps:

1. Choose and measure a suitable site
2. Download banner artwork
3. Order your banners
4. Finish banners by adding attachment system
5. Deployment on a bridge or overpass

Each step below includes a general description of the steps in this process and points you to the appropriate page or resource guide for additional information.

1. Choose and Measure Your Site

Once a location has been selected, the next step is getting to know the space where the banners will be displayed. Visiting the site and taking a few key measurements—such as available fence length, post spacing, height, and any obstacles—helps reveal how the banners can best be arranged.

Because every location is different, these details help determine which banner sizes and configurations will work best. Taking a little time to understand the space up front makes it easier to choose from the available banner options.

Helpful Resource

View: Choose and Measure a Suitable Site Guide

2. Download Banner Artwork

Once you have your site measurements, the next step is choosing the banner design and configuration that best fits your location. The Banner Artwork page provides a variety of sizes and layouts, while the Choose and Measure a Suitable Site guide helps you determine which options will work best for your site.

 Helpful Resource

Visit: Banner Artwork page

3. Order the Banners

Once the artwork has been selected, the next step is working with a printer. Most commercial print shops can produce the banners directly from the supplied PDF files, allowing organizers to choose a printer that is convenient for their location.

The ordering process includes selecting the appropriate banner material, uploading the artwork files, reviewing the proof, and arranging pickup or delivery. This guide walks through these steps and includes a detailed example using the Staples online ordering system, with guidance that can be adapted for other commercial printers.

Helpful Resource

View: Banner Ordering Guide

4. Install the Attachment System

Before the first deployment, the banners are prepared for repeated use by permanently attaching small bungee cords to each grommet. This simple, one-time process creates a ready-to-install banner that can be quickly secured each time it is displayed.

At the site, deployment becomes a straightforward process. The attached bungee loops are wrapped around the chain-link fence, and each connection point can be secured in a matter of seconds. Preparing the banners in advance reduces setup time, eliminates the need to handle loose attachment materials while working near traffic, and helps prevent objects from being dropped onto vehicles passing below. It also allows volunteers to remain focused on the safe placement and removal of the banners each time they are used.

Helpful Resource

View: Attachment System Installation Guide

5. Deploy the Banners

Because Bridges Across America is designed to be accessible, a banner project can move from planning to display in a matter of days.

As the banners go up, they become more than a message—they become a visible demonstration of people taking action in their communities. The volunteers who install them are part of that message, showing others that they are not alone and that there are people willing to stand for connection, understanding, and reconciliation. For this reason, and to comply with any applicable local requirements, banners should always be accompanied by at least one volunteer.

For someone quietly questioning their beliefs, seeing a banner at the right moment may be the encouragement they need to take the next step. For those who share the same concerns, seeing neighbors come together can provide hope and a reminder that change begins with ordinary people choosing to act.

Participants are encouraged to take photos of their displays and share their projects for inclusion in a future collection highlighting banner displays from communities across America.

Helpful Resource

View: Banner Deployment Guide

You're Ready

Congratulations!

With careful planning and a little teamwork, your group can create a professional-quality display that reaches thousands of people every day.

Every banner is an invitation rather than a confrontation. Someone passing beneath your bridge may be quietly questioning what they have been told, wondering if anyone else shares their doubts.

Your display may be the first reminder they receive that they are not alone.

Small acts of compassion, repeated in communities across the country, have the power to open doors to healing, reconciliation, and a renewed sense of shared community.

Thank you for being part of Bridges Across America.