NLTAPA Quarterly Newsletter - Spring '23
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Quarterly News & Updates
Winter | '23
The NLTAPA Quarterly Newsletter is your source for information, news, and updates related to all things LTAP. If you have questions or content you would like included in an upcoming edition, please email NLTAPA Communications Workgroup co-chair, Brittany Cloyd, at brittany.cloyd@uky.edu.
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President's Corner
As we work our way into spring, our locals will be out clearing vegetation. Vegetation clearing along roadsides prevents overgrowth that can impede visibility, obstruct signs, and create challenging road conditions. Effective vegetation management involves a combination of mowing, trimming, and removal to ensure that vegetation remains under control. Assisting local governments in developing plans, training staff, and assisting in properly using equipment while in the field will ensure safe and efficient travel for all.
Spread the word to all our locals that they can apply for Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program again this year. The SS4A Notice of Funding Opportunity is available and applications are due by July 10, 2023. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the SS4A discretionary program with billions in appropriated funds over the next four years. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. LTAPs and TTAPs can provide updates and training information to those interested. Be on the lookout for the FHWA Federal Aid 101/BIL Grants training piloted earlier this month.
NLTAPA continues to work with FHWA to secure funding for the year. Joe Conway and Danielle Mathis-Lee have been communicating with NLTAPA and our FHWA Divisions on the continued efforts of Local Aid Support (LAS) to issue the Allocation Memos for our programs.
Make plans to attend the National LTAP/TTAP Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio, July 17 - 20. The Conference Committee has put together an excellent agenda with conversations with FHWA and our Partners and topics such as Applying Training to the Real World, How to Find Forgotten Locals, Generational Communication Styles, Multi-jurisdictional Approaches to Safe Streets and Roads for All, BIL update, Using the FHWA Resource Center, and many more. We are excited to have TTAPs join too.
I look forward to seeing you in Columbus in July.
National News
2023 NLTAPA Conference: July 17-20 in Columbus, Ohio
Check out our new video for this year’s conference! National LTAP/TTAP Conference - July 2023 (Columbus, Ohio) - YouTube.
Please visit the Conference Workgroup webpage for details and registration information. Register for the conference online to secure your spot. Thanks and we look forward to seeing you here in Columbus, Ohio this summer!
NOFO for Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program Now Available
The NOFO is available here. The deadline for applications is 11:59 PM EST on August 1, 2023. Grant applications must be submitted through Grants.gov.
For additional information contact our email address: wildlifecrossings@dot.gov.
The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program is now available for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023 in the amount of $111.85 million. The program helps carry out projects by certain Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments, including municipalities, counties, and others that reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species.
The funding may be used for construction and non-construction projects and the maximum share of project costs that may be funded with grant funds will typically be 80 percent of project costs, as is standard for Federal-aid projects.
We will soon schedule webinars that describe the program and the application process as outlined in the NOFO. These webinars will be recorded and posted on our webpage for prospective applicants. Please check the webpage for future webinars and more information.
Fourth National Summit on Rural Road Safety Provides Resources for Rural Transportation Practitioners
The focus will be relevant rural road safety training and practical, low-cost ways to improve rural road safety. And big news: We’ve partnered with the National Association of Development Organization’s (NADO) National Regional Transportation Conference for this summit.
You’ll get:
- Sessions and trainings customized specifically for rural transportation practitioners
- Ideas on how you can partner with law enforcement and public health professionals in your area to make roads safer
- Networking with local and national rural professionals like you
- Practical takeaways you can use right away
Resources, resources, resources. We’ll see you there!
A registration link will be provided soon. Visit the webpage for more information.
Center Sharing
Arkansas LTAP Launches Training for Locals, Highlights Women in STEM, and Onboards New Directors
We have finally completed Request for Proposal process and have agreements in place for new vendors to provide our training to locals as they request training. Training will begin soon, and the locals are looking forward to taking advantage of this great resource provided by our LTAP office. This is important, because not only do we have over 50% new county judges, but the many of the road department leadership is new along with their employees. So, we need to be diligent in preparing them for their jobs and make sure they do them safely.
April 14, 2023, we held our second annual Women in STEM Conference. This conference focuses on 9th-12th grade females from around the state who are in STEM programs at their schools or who are interested in STEM. With this conference, we aim to provide a foundation with opportunities and resources for young ladies to use it to springboard into the STEM field.
On May 3, 2023, Arkansas LTAP will host an LTAP New Directors Training at our facilities. The training will be provided by LAS and Danielle Mathis-Lee. Anyone who is interested in attending is welcome to do so.
Oklahoma LTAP Celebrates Roads Scholar Graduates
Recently, at the Spring Association of County Commissioners Conference in Oklahoma, Oklahoma LTAP honored approximately 15 county transportation personnel a Roads Scholar Award. OK LTAP’s Roads Scholar Program is an educational certification series offered to county, municipal, state, and tribal transportation related employees.
The courses provide participants with basic engineering knowledge and other topics related to the technical aspects of planning, maintaining, and constructing roads and bridges at the local level. The series consists of eight courses that total approximately 112 hours of instruction and laboratory or in the field experience. Those who complete all the courses are awarded a Roads Scholars completion certificate.
Louisiana LTAP Hosts Reducing Rural Roadway Departures Peer Exchange and Promotes LTAP Activities, Trainings
Louisiana LTAP hosted the FHWA / LTAP Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures Peer Exchange at the New Orleans Regional Transportation Management Center (RTMC) April 5 & 6. Based on the FHWA’s “FoRRRwD” EDC Initiative, six States shared ideas on Local Road Safety Plans, Safe System Approach, and other FoRRRwD Pillars relating to local agency implementation, with discussions led by key FHWA Resource Center, Safety, and CLAS personnel. States participating included Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, New York, New Hampshire, and North Carolina. Louisiana LTAP participants included Steve Strength, Courtney Dupre, and Leo Marretta, along with four local agency participants and several LA DOTD and Regional Safety Coalition partners. LA LTAP also assisted with meeting room setup, van shuttle services between the French Quarter conference hotel and the RTMC, catered breakfast each day, and restaurant suggestions allowing the participants to navigate the vast opportunities dining in the Crescent City. Our local attendees came away with a greater perspective on Roadway Departure Safety resources and renewed enthusiasm for developing and implementing roadway safety improvements.
FHWA's Rosemarie Anderson and NLTAPA Past President Matt Ulberg enjoy crawfish and barbecued shrimp at the FoRRRwD Peer Exchange
Six States met in New Orleans for the
FHWA / LTAP Peer Exchange
Louisiana LTAP participated in the Louisiana Transportation Conference March 12-15, 2023, sponsored by the Louisiana Transportation Research Center which houses LTAP and other training related entities. The conference was held in Baton Rouge and featured over 1200 participants, including 79 local registrants, with over 80 technical sessions and a vendor expo, as well as table top displays. Louisiana LTAP hosted a table top display promoting LTAP activities, as well as two technical sessions featuring LTAP training topics and safety activities.
We kicked off our “Roads Scholar #2: Maintenance of Asphalt Roads” class series in March, which will be taught at 7 locations through April and May. In addition, we’ve had a significant increase in requests for our Basics of Work Zone Safety with Basic Flagger mini-workshop, with six sessions scheduled so far in March and April.
Cornell Local Roads Creates Community Corner Content
In addition to normal LTAP activities, NY LTAP created a series of flyers to support highway departments. These flyers, called Community Corner Content, are citizen-facing and focus on:
- Mailbox Placement – What you need to Know
- Winter Weather Driving Tips
- Slow Moving Vehicles
- Whys of Snow Plows
- Sharing the Road with Farm and Construction Vehicles
- Who is Responsible for the Road
They are adding more content so if you have any suggestions, please send them over.
New York also launched new Reducing Liability Workshops. They participated with the Indiana LTAP (Purdue) Good Road School, speaking on gravel materials and safety in the right-of-way and assisting with moderation.
New Jersey LTAP Stays Busy with Roundabout Workshops, Annual Work Zone Safety Conference, and Partner Presentations
The New Jersey LTAP stayed busy during the first quarter with multiple LTAP activities:
- Recently participated in New Jersey's Annual Work Zone Safety Conference as coordinators, moderator, and presenter.
- Hosted two FHWA Roundabout Workshops provided by the FHWA Resource Center.
- Working with the state forestry program on developing a tree trimming safety workshop.
- Updating Federal-aid Responsible Charge training materials with FHWA.
- Provided support and presentations to the NJ Asphalt Pavement Association, NJ Chapter of APWA, NACE state affiliate, and the NJ Society of Municipal Engineers.
CT LTAP Gathers Input From Traffic Signal Community
CT T2 Center held an in-person input session with stakeholders from the CT Traffic Signal Community. The group which represented local Public Works, CT DOT Signal Lab staff, Traffic Signal Engineers, Police and Fire helped us update our existing Level One and Level Two Traffic Signal Technicians Certificate Program and helped us build a Level Three program. It was such a great day of sharing and learning about their needs for training! The center is also partnering with CT ITS on learning opportunities that will receive credit in our Traffic Signal Champion program. We are grateful for the opportunity to support this important group.
Kentucky LTAP Partners with ADDs to Secure SS4A Funding
The Kentucky Transportation Center is pleased to announce that Kentucky was awarded over $3 Million in Safety Action Plan Grant funding through the USDOT Safe Streets and Roads for All discretionary grant program. This includes ten Area Development Districts (ADDs) and four cities.
Through the Technology Transfer Program at the Kentucky Transportation Center and Kentucky’s Local Technical Assistance Program (KY LTAP), Martha Horseman and Adam Kirk assisted nine ADDs in securing $2.1 Million of federal funding to develop Safety Action Plans. The plans have been created for 75 of Kentucky’s 120 counties. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary grant program with $5 billion in appropriated funds over the next five years to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. Over the last five years, these areas accounted for 2,340 fatal crashes and 2,788 vulnerable road user crashes. The figure below summarizes the SS4A applications submitted in Kentucky for FY 22.
ADDs plan to utilize this funding to
develop safety action plans that identify high crash roadways within their jurisdictions and identify low-cost systemic safety measures of reducing fatal and serious injury crashes. Plans will be developed to address both rural roadway and urban crash patterns and improve safety for vulnerable road users. These plans will be used to direct and prioritize local capital improvement projects and apply for future funding through the KYTC HSIP program and the USDOT SS4A and other grant programs.
These applications would not be possible without the leadership of the transportation planners at the Area Development Districts, as well as the guidance and commitment of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Division of Planning and Division of Program Management, the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety and the KYTC leadership which is assisting rural counties in meeting federal matching requirements for the grant.
Please feel free to contact Adam Kirk, KY Safety Circuit Rider, or Martha Horseman, Program Manager, for more information.
Missouri DOT Holds No Boundaries Spring Peer Exchange
No Boundaries members gathered in Missouri on April 25-26 for the first peer exchange of 2023. Hosted by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), the two-day event offers an exciting variety of activities, presentations and round-table discussions. The peer exchange kicked off with an Innovations Showcase, where the group learned about new and innovative maintenance solutions. Day two touted round-table discussions on best practices and strategies, and featured a guest presentation on NLTAPA.
FHWA Updates
Local Aid Support is pleased to share the 2022 annual report from the Office of Innovation and Workforce Solutions (HIT) – The Power of People. You can find it online by clicking here.
This year’s report shares highlights of the collective efforts in HIT’s two main focus areas – innovation and workforce development. In 2022, the people of HIT worked hard to develop and share solutions with others, whether in the form of training, technical assistance, or deployment. Innovation is a constant theme within our office – from the launch of Every Day Counts Round 7 to the Build a Better Mousetrap awards, to uncovering better ways to do our business through collaboration and knowledge sharing solutions. Our commitment to developing the transportation workforce is clear across HIT’s people and programs – from building capacity through hands-on technical assistance, to designing formal course offerings, supporting our LTAP and TTAP centers, administering focused workforce programs and supporting our Discipline Support System.
As always, our highly successful 2022 can be credited to the unrivaled dedication of the people behind each and every program. I hope you enjoy reading about the power of our people, and thanks for your continued support.
FHWA Local Aid Support is
Hitting the Road to Promote LTAP/TTAP
We recently set up an FHWA Local Aid Support exhibit booth during the American Society of Civil Engineers Geo-Congress 2023 in Los Angeles.
We are also setting up an exhibit booth during the National Association of County Engineers Conference in Orange Beach, Alabama.
Here’s a look at other conferences
we are planning to attend:
NLTAPA Annual Conference
Columbus, OH
July 17-20
TRB Low Volume Roads Conference
Cedar Rapids, IA
July 23-26
National Rural Safety Summit
Oklahoma City, OK
September 12-14
National Transportation in
Indian Country Conference
Anchorage, AK
September 24-28
We hope to see you there.
Geosynthetics Field Installation Notes Tracker Mobile Application
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Local Aid Support Team announced the release of the Geosynthetics Field Installation Notes Tracker Mobile Application. The new mobile app is a collaborative effort with the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) to provide instant access to information on the various types and functions of geosynthetic material for use in road construction and maintenance projects. The handheld technology is geared towards transportation industry professionals.
Construction and maintenance workers can download the Mobile App for information on specification requirements and site inspection guidance for walls, slopes, pavements, erosion control and drainage. Other key features include quick searches, notes tracker, bookmarks, shared documents, and informational videos
FHWA is Taking Nominations for Build a Better Mousetrap
States with locally relevant projects, local government agencies and Tribal agencies are eligible to participate.
The winners will be selected for originality and creativity that provide long-term value to the transportation community. Some other criteria include projects that exhibit a cost savings, time savings, applicability, and community benefit. Nominations are due to FHWA by June 9, 2023. Please reach out to FHWA Local Aid Support team with any questions you might have at CLAS@dot.gov.
For marketing materials, visit https://bit.ly/BABM_Home.
The four categories:
- Innovative Project
Any solution that addresses any or all phase(s) of the ‘project’ life cycle (Planning, Design/Engineering, Construction, Operations and Maintenance). This project shall introduce new ideas, is locally relevant, original, and creative in thinking. - Bold Steps
Any locally relevant high-risk project or process showing a break-through solution with demonstrated high-reward. - Smart Transformation
A locally relevant significant change in any transportation activity or process that is SMART “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound” in nature that results in improved efficiencies. - Pioneer
A locally relevant product/tool that is among the first to solve a maintenance problem with a home-grown solution.
Staff/Center Changes
As part of our improved communications strategy, we are recognizing and celebrating staff changes through the quarterly newsletter. Please email brittany.cloyd@uky.edu and marilee.enus@unh.edu if you have any new or transitioning staff. For new staff, provide a short bio and headshot along with their role. New LTAP Center staff will also be added to other NLTAPA communications channels, like Basecamp.
New Jersey LTAP Welcomes Jessica Brown
Jessica comes to the position at NJLTAP with a varied background. Her career started in NYC at a top investment bank as the executive assistant to the CIO then as a budget analyst in the IT department, continued through running a bustling NJ nonprofit in healthcare education as the COO and, recently, a short stint as an HR project manager. At NJLTAP, she is responsible for the day-to-day management of the continuing education offerings and project coordination.
North Carolina LTAP Welcomes Ray Narvaez
Ray Narvaez is the new Support Specialist for the North Carolina Local Technical Assistance Program (NCLTAP). They will be scheduling and facilitating NCLTAP classes, organizing agency-only classes, assisting with finances, providing reporting, and answering questions for the NCLTAP community.
In 2022, they received a Bachelor’s degree in History and Museum Studies from St. Mary’s College of Maryland where they worked in the Anthropology Department’s archaeology lab. Ray recently relocated to North Carolina from Maryland and lives in Raleigh.
Colorado LTAP Welcomes Kristi Jones
Kristi Jones joins the Colorado LTAP as a Transportation Training Specialist.
Alaska LTAP Welcomes Joshua Hyde
Joshua Hyde recently joined the Alaska LTAP as a Training Specialist.
NLTAPA Congratulates Beverly Fontenot on Retirement
After almost 22 years with the Georgia LTAP, Beverly Fontenot is retiring.
Congratulations, Beverly!
Until a new LTAP Director is selected, Sebastian Callias will serve as Interim Director.
Special Achievements
We love to congratulate our LTAP friends on achievements and awards!
Let the LTAP community celebrate you. If you'd like to share your own
accomplishment, or that of a coworker, in the next newsletter, email Brittany Cloyd.
Whova Community Leaderboard Contest
Rudynah 'Dynah' Capone
Innovation and Technology Transfer Manager,
Louisiana LTAP
Dynah Capone of LA LTAP won first place in the Whova Community Leaderboard Contest at the Public Relations Society of America International Convention held in Grapevine, TX in November 2022. Dynah received a complimentary Conference Registration for PRSA ICON 2023.
Congratulations, Dynah, on this exciting achievement!
2023 NHTSA Public Service Award
Andrea 'Andi' Bill
Director, WI LTAP
Andi Bill, Director of WI LTAP, was awarded the 2023 NHTSA Public Service Award at the Lifesavers National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities in Seattle, WA.
Andi was recognized by NHTSA Deputy Administrator, Sophie Shulman,
"for your innovation in leveraging new partners to improve data collection
and flow to keep Wisconsin roads safe."
Congratulations, Andi, on this well-deserved accomplishment!
Stay in Touch
Whether you are new to LTAP or a veteran who would like to be "in the know," the NLTAPA Google Group is a great way to stay informed and connected across the entire LTAP universe.
*Please note - the NLTAPA Google Group is limited to LTAP center staff.
Attention Workgroup Chairs
Since our website is public-facing, we do our best to keep things up-to-date and accurate. Please review your workgroup pages regularly and contact the Communications Workgroup to make any changes.
