Biweekly #136

• Accessible Sidewalks and Curb Ramps: Design to Installation, Tuesday, 4/7 (Ames) – This workshop will benefit state and local professionals who plan, design, inspect, and construct Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-related facilities within the public right-of-way. State and local agency staff, consultants, and contractors are encouraged to attend. Additional information, and registration can be found at the event page.
• Iowa DOT Culvert & Bridge Backwater Program Workshops, Thursday, 4/9 (Iowa City) – The workshop will cover the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) StreamStats program for estimating design discharges for sizing bridges and culverts. It will also go over the use of the Iowa DOT annual exceedance-probability discharges (AEPD) spreadsheet for calculating and comparing peak discharges using other methodologies. In addition, the workshop will review the Iowa DOT Culvert program and Bridge Backwater program with example problems. Additional information, attendance requirements and limitations, and registration can be found at the event page.
• Excavation Safety Workshops, Tuesday, 4/21 (Independence); Wednesday, 4/22 (Clarion); Thursday, 4/23 (Storm Lake); Monday, 4/27 (Sigourney); Tuesday, 4/28 (Osceola); and Thursday, 4/30 (Atlantic) – This workshop explains the hazards of excavation and trenching, how accidents happen, and how worker protective measures should be applied. It’s a great way to inform new employees of safety protocol or to update more experienced employees on new safety information. Who should attend: all crew members involved in excavation, supervisors responsible for trenching operations, and city/county engineers or administrators responsible for employee safety. Much more detail and registration for this workshop can be found at the event page.
• Applying Section 4(f): Policy, Practice, & Documentation for Transportation Projects, Tuesday and Wednesday, 4/28 and 4/29 (Ames) – This intensive, practitioner-focused course provides a comprehensive and practical application of Section 4(f) within the transportation project development process. Participants learn how to properly identify Section 4(f) resources, apply the correct approval pathways, develop legally defensible documentation, and integrate Section 4(f) with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act (LWCF). More information, objectives, who should attend information, instructor bio, and registration for this workshop can be found at the event page.

Biweekly #136

• Cybersecurity for Non-IT Local Public Works and Secondary Roads Agency Staff, Tuesday, 4/21 at 9:00 AM (Note: this webinar has an earlier start time and two-hour length) – This interactive virtual workshop, led by the Center for Cybersecurity Innovation and Outreach (CyIO) at Iowa State University, will introduce non-information technology (IT) local public works and secondary roads agency staff to practical, scenario-based cybersecurity preparedness. Participants will use the Cybersecurity Incident Management Exercise (CIME) format to explore a realistic cyber incident tailored to the public works and secondary roads environment—such as ransomware affecting working systems. This session will include a brief threat landscape discussion, a scenario video to set the stage, and structured breakout room discussions where agency staff role-play through response and recovery. The workshop concludes with a group debrief and collaborative action planning to identify real steps agencies can take to build resilience. This engaging, low-pressure format is designed to help frontline staff and leadership better understand their roles during a cyber crisis and leave with strategies they can apply immediately. More information and registration for this webinar can be found at the event page.
• Using the Potential for Crash Reduction (PCR) Tool for Local Safety Project Funding, Thursday, 5/14 at 12:00 PM – With 10 years of statewide individual crash data updated daily on the Iowa Crash Analysis Tool (ICAT), the Potential for Crash Reduction (PCR) tool helps counties, cities, and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs)/regional planning affiliations (RPAs) to screen their network by consolidating this crash data to intersections and segments, and comparing these locations to other similar locations in the same category and statewide. Once locations with a high or medium PCR level are identified, crash patterns can be reviewed to select countermeasures for site-specific or systemic improvements. More information and registration for this webinar can be found at the event page.

Biweekly #136

• Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa (APAI) Mini-Workshops (APAI), Tuesday, 4/7 (Riverside); Wednesday, 4/8 (Clear Lake); and Tuesday, 4/21 (Council Bluffs) – APAI offers these exciting and innovative workshops that will keep you up to date on what’s new in asphalt from the people who are constructing Iowa’s most cutting-edge projects. More information and registration for these workshops can be found at the event page.
• Back to Basics: Jointing Concrete Pavements (ACPA and CP Tech Center), Tuesday, 4/14 at 12:00 PM – Join the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) and the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center (CP Tech Center) to kick off a new year of Tech Tuesday webinars with a discussion on concrete pavement jointing for roadways and parking lots. Topics will include best practices for joint design and layout, key factors to monitor during construction, and other aspects of material selection and design to ensure durable, long-term performance of the jointing system. More information and registration for this webinar can be found at the event page.
• Innovative Funding Processes for Rural Road Safety (FHWA), Thursday, 5/7 at 12:00 PM – State, regional, and local transportation agencies will present on innovative funding programs, alternative contracting methods, and flexibilities to distribute resources effectively and efficiently across state, tribal, and local-owned rural roads to maximize safety impact. Strategies will emphasize effective investments and program eligibilities, nontraditional funding sources, and systemic data-driven investments. Registration for this training can be found at the event page.