https://www.t2.lhtac.org

Some additional details are located at https://lhtac.org/training .

Print copies are also sent to various local, state, and non-government agencies. If you would like to receive a physical copy, please email Jake Melder at jmelder@LHTAC.org.

Sign up for LHTAC emails by clicking here.

• Pioneer – John McCracken, West Point Highway District, Aerosol Tack Applicator
• Innovative Idea – City of Nampa, Name That Snowplow

Aerosol Tack Applicator

John McCracken of the West Point Highway District saw how inefficient it was to patch asphalt roads. He developed a all-in-one system that uses an air compressor to blow out debris, spray tack, and clean the lines. This idea has the potential to save significant time, improve the performance of patches with a better application of tack, and increase safety by reducing the time crews are on the road. Check out John’s video to see how his invention works.

Name That Snowplow

The City of Nampa had an idea to engage with local elementary students with their winter operations and bring a little fun to the doldrums of the season. They held a competition to name their snowplows. With a little seeding for name ideas, the following winners were chosen:

• Kindergarten: Plowy McPlowface
• 1st: Lightning McClean
• 2nd: Frosty the Snowplow
• 3rd: Baby Snowda
• 4th: Darth Blader
• 5th: Fast and Flurryous

The city teamed up with its GIS department to provide a live tracking map of the plows, allowing residents to see the newly-named plows in action.

The winners will be presented a trophy at their relevant association’s annual conference. Winners will also receive a free class through the T2 Center.

LHTAC will also submit winning entries to the national Build a Better Mousetrap competition.

Highlights:

• Historic Local Bridge Funding
• Road Scholar and Road Master recipients
• LHTAC’s Focus on Pedestrian Projects
• Local Bridge Bundle Heads to Construction

Click here for a preview of the classes we’ll be offering.

Not getting LHTAC emails? Sign up today!

Each training will have limited attendance so that attendees can ask questions along the way. A Zoom link for each session will be sent the day of the training to those registered. Use the links below to sign up and contact Mitch Paine for any questions: mitch.paine@fema.dhs.gov. For future session availability and registration, please look at the NORFMA calendar here: https://norfma.org/meetinginfo.php

Classes will open for registration in phases based on class location:

August 31 – Webinars
August 31 – Northern Idaho
September 1 – Western & Central Idaho
September 2 – Eastern Idaho

Now is the time to submit course requests for Fall.
 
If you have 15* or more students to commit to a class and haven’t seen it offered in your area, request it now. You can use the link through your T2 Center login or you can email us directly at idahot2@lhtac.org.
 
*Note: A minimum of 15 students is required for most classes but may vary based on the course.

Please have your course requests submitted by July 30, 2021, to be considered for this fall’s schedule. 

With so much attention being paid to providing access for pedestrians and bicyclists on our roadways, when and how to safely accommodate their needs is not always easy to determine.

What are treatment options that are bicycle and pedestrian-friendly?

Road shoulders are often deemed to be a preferred treatment to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians on rural roads. Sidewalks and bike lanes are treatment alternatives in more urban and suburban environments where there is typically more traffic.

What purpose do road shoulders serve?

First of all – on some low-volume roads, shoulders are often not needed. As traffic volumes and speeds increase, however, their value becomes greater. In some situations, lack of space or certain soil conditions do not allow for a road shoulder.

Some of the benefits of shoulders include:

• Allowing for driver error and providing space to make evasive maneuvers
• Increasing the sight distance for through-vehicles and for those entering the roadway
• Providing structural support for the pavement
• Moving water farther from the travel lanes, reducing damage to the base and subgrade as well as reducing hydroplaning, splash, and spray
• Providing space for snow storage, maintenance operations, and signs
• Providing space for bicyclists and pedestrians
• Providing space for disabled vehicles, mail delivery, and bus stops

What are shoulders made of and how wide should they be?

Shoulders can be graded, stabilized, or paved. On rural roads, a two-foot shoulder is often adequate. If a shoulder is intended to be used by pedestrians or bicyclists, it should be paved and a minimum of four feet wide if possible.

Does it help to apply a color treatment to road shoulders to make the corridor appear narrower?

The added cost of the special color treatment will have to be taken into consideration when weighing benefits to cost. Whether or not such a visual appearance will actually slow traffic any more than the design treatments will is questionable. Treatments that bring the possible presence of cyclists and pedestrians along a roadway to drivers’ attention is a safety enhancement.

Can you mark road shoulders as bike lanes?

The V&T law definition of a bike lane is: A portion of the roadway, which has been designated by striping, signing and pavement markings for the preferential or exclusive use of bicycles. If rural road shoulders are to be used by bicyclists and pedestrians, it is advisable to not mark it as a bike lane. Doing so would pose a safety hazard, implying that bikes and pedestrians would be required (illegally) to share a bike lane.

Can’t you just put a separate path along the way and tell bicyclists and pedestrians to go there?

Bicyclists (and in-line skaters) have the legal right to share the road on most public roadways. (They are prohibited on interstate highways and expressways.) Consequently, bicyclists cannot be required to use separate facilities such as a separate pathway. They may choose to use a separate path, if provided.

How about designating certain roads as safe bicycling roads?

You don’t want to try to label roads as good or bad for bicycling. There are many factors that play into a road’s suitability for bicycling. This can include posted speed limits, shoulder materials/width/condition, grade, pavement quality and amount of daily traffic. Cyclists may choose different roads at different times depending upon such factors as their skill level and goals for any given trip.

Producing a map for of the area for bicycling is a pretty big project, but worthy. There are many good examples of bicycle suitability maps to give you ideas.

Credit: Accommodating Bicyclists and Pedestrians on Rural Roads, Written by Cornell Local Roads Program,
Published Tech Tips, February 2010. https://www.clrp.cornell.edu/tip_sheets/tip_sheets.html

Chip Seal Interlayer Survey

This survey is being conducted for Ohio’s Research Initiative for Locals (ORIL) and Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to gather information and seek details from local public agencies about their current practices for using chip seal interlayer (chip seal layer installed before placing an asphalt overlay) to control reflection cracking.
The survey is very simple and short. To view and complete the survey, please click on the following link:
 
https://artsciuc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_22YclDzcwktabk2
 
Please complete and submit the survey and forward this email to any other appropriate person in your agency. The survey will be available through Friday, June 25, 2021. Please submit your responses by that date.

If you have any questions, please contact the principal investigator for this study, Dr. Munir D. Nazzal of the University of Cincinnati, at Munir.nazzal@uc.edu or 513-556-3736.

Additional materials you would like to provide to supplement your survey response may be emailed directly to Dr. Nazzal. Your input is critical to the success of this study. Thank you very much for your time and expertise.