News

Innovation Exchange Webinars

Posted & filed under LHTAC News, T2 News.

Let’s Talk Innovation, Conversations That Launch Change!!

The Center for Local-aid Support (CLAS) team is the conduit for connecting Local agencies, Tribes and Federal Land Management Agencies to innovative market-ready deployment opportunities that can be used on our nation’s highways to save lives, project delivery time, and money. Through Innovation Exchange webinars, we are bringing cutting-edge transportation leaders to the table to share ideas and out of the box innovative practices that have proven results. (more…)

‘What is Public Works?’ video targeted to children

Posted & filed under LHTAC News.

The American Public Works Association (APWA) has launched a “What is Public Works?” video targeted to children. The free video helps children understand the value of the public works community.

In this video, children will learn about water and wastewater, solid waste, traffic and transportation, and construction. The video promotes awareness and understanding of public works in the community and features people who keep our communities a safe place to live, work, and play. Informative animations are also featured.

The APWA also offers a Discovering the World of Public Works curriculum, which introduces children (K-5) to the multifaceted world of public works. The three-part package includes an instructor’s guide, a workbook for children, and an illustrated book titled Chipper’s Adventures in Public Works written at a third-grade level. You can use the curriculum for giving presentations at community events, public works celebrations, and at schools for “Career Days.” It can be ordered in the online APWA Store.

Learn more:

How Many Bridges to Bundle?

Posted & filed under Every Day Counts Initiative, LHTAC News.

When it comes to project bundling, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. States have successfully used bridge bundles ranging from 2 to more than 500.

  • Missouri replaced or rehabilitated 802 bridges over 3.5 years using a single contract for 554 bridges and smaller bundles for the remainder.
  • Georgia accelerated the replacement of 25 local bridges using 5 bundles with 4–6 bridges each, based on location.
  • Pennsylvania is replacing 558 State bridges in under 3 years in a single public-private partnership procurement. The State also offers a local agency program that bundles bridges with similar designs into smaller contracts.

Learn about the criteria used to determine bundle size and select projects for these programs and others in FHWA’s Bridge Bundling Guidebook. For details, contact Romeo Garcia, FHWA Office of Infrastructure, or David Unkefer, FHWA Resource Center.

New Visual Tools Promote STEP Countermeasures

Posted & filed under Every Day Counts Initiative, LHTAC News, Technical Articles.

The FHWA Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) program developed a series of videos that demonstrate how to reduce crash risk for pedestrians crossing roadways.

Each video highlights transportation officials describing how pedestrians and drivers use or interact at the crossing improvements. These brief videos explain the safety benefits of five countermeasures including:

You can use these videos in public meetings, conferences, or share them through social media to help educate pedestrians, drivers, and local decision-makers.

To learn more about the STEP countermeasures featured in these videos, please contact Becky Crowe of the FHWA Office of Safety or Peter Eun of the FHWA Resource Center.