Biweekly #69

• Five Leadership Practices to Quickly Improve Team Morale, Thursday, 4/27 at 12:00 PM – Combining Patrick Lencioni and Kouzes & Posner’s research on leadership best practices, this quick 60-minute session will touch on quick tips that any leader can immediately apply to their team. Upon completion of this session, participants will have a foundational understanding on best practices in leadership and will be able to immediately apply these quick tips with their teams. A portion of the time spent will include peer sharing where participants discuss what has worked for them to improve morale on their team. More information and registration for this webinar can be found here.
• Grant Writing 101, Tuesday, 5/2 at 9:00 AM – This free workshop is a three-hour webinar that will provide hands-on training in seeking and writing successful transportation grant applications. Note that this is a general grant writing course and not related to any specific transportation grant currently open to applications. The webinar is offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach staff. It is intended for county secondary roads staff, city public works staff, consultants, and any other local agency staff the might be involved with grant writing. More information and registration for this workshop can be found here.

Biweekly #69

• Excavation Safety, Tuesday, 4/4 (Storm Lake); Wednesday, 4/5 (Clarion); Thursday, 4/6 (Independence); Tuesday, 4/11 (Corning), Wednesday, 4/12 (Indianola); and Thursday, 4/13 (Sigourney) at 8:00 AM – This workshop explains the hazards of excavation and trenching, how accidents happen, and how worker protective measures should be applied. It covers: critical definitions and context for excavation safety; soils analysis: testing local soils and handling testing equipment; and shoring options: a walk‐through of all the basic systems—sloping, shoring, and shielding. It also provides assurance that all relevant duties of a competent person at an excavation site will be fully covered and explained. However, the employer has responsibility and authority to actually designate a worker as a Competent Person. For more information and to registration, please go here.
• Accessible Sidewalks and Curb Ramps: Design to Installation, Thursday, 4/6 at 8:45 AM (Ames) – This workshop will benefit state and local professionals that 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. For more information and to register, please go here.
• County Engineers Research Focus Group, Thursday, 5/4 at 9:00 AM (Ames) – Each year, a County Engineers Research Focus Group (CERFG) meeting is held in Ames. At this event, you will hear about research updates and local innovations and be provided useful results from recently completed research projects. You will also participate in a brainstorming session to identify needed research projects that will be presented to the Iowa Highway Research Board (IHRB) for consideration. Attendance at this event is limited to Iowa county engineers, assistance, technicians, etc. For more information and to register, please go here.
• Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Signing Review, Tuesday, 5/9 (Ames); Wednesday, 5/10 (Atlantic); Thursday, 5/11 (Cherokee); Tuesday, 5/16 (Cedar Rapids); Wednesday, 5/17 (Waverly); and Thursday, 5/18 (Fairfield) at 8:00 AM – This workshop will summarize many of the signing chapters in the 2009 Edition of the MUTCD with Revisions Number 1, 2, and 3 (incorporated in 7/2022). Topics include General Sign Basics, Regulatory Signs and Barricades, Warning Signs and Object Markers, Guide Signs, and Signing for Railroad Grade Crossings. The new pavement marking retroreflectivity rule added in Revision 3 will also be briefly covered. For more information and to register, please go here.

Biweekly #69

• Iowa Build a Better Mousetrap Competition – Applications Being Accepted!!! Each year, Iowa LTAP sponsors a statewide Build a Better Mousetrap (BABM) Competition. It is the people on the front lines who often discover the latest and best practices, whether through new gadgets that improve the quality and safety of a project or innovative processes that reduce costs and improves efficiency. Iowa’s BABM Competition provides a great opportunity to share your new ideas with others! We are looking for submissions from Iowa’s local public agencies (e.g., cities and counties) that have created different solutions to problems or found better ways of doing things. The top three winners are recognized statewide and are offered free workshop registrations. The application deadline is 5/5. For more information and to apply online, please go here.

Biweekly #69

• International Low Volume Roads Conference (TRB), Sunday–Thursday, 7/23–7/27 (Cedar Rapids) – This conference is a special opportunity for Iowa professionals. The conference is a global forum to examine new technologies and new techniques in the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and administration of low volume roads. It includes full- and mini-workshops, a field trip, lightening poster sessions, and presentations. Typically, more than 20 countries are represented. For more information and to register, please go here. There is also an “Iowa Night” and post-conference workshop with separate registrations under “Offsite Events” at this same link.

Biweekly #69

• APPIA Training for Local Agency Personnel and Consultants (Iowa DOT), Thursday, 3/30 (Fayette) – Appia is a web-based application used to facilitate the administration and documentation of construction projects. This training is designed for all local agency and consultant staff who are involved in the construction inspection and administration process. The class will include an overview of the application, a demonstration of the application, and a hands-on training exercise. Participants will be required to bring their own wireless-capable electronic device, such as a tablet or laptop. More information and registration is available here.
• Asphalt 101: Materials & Mixes (AR LTAP), Thursday, 4/13 at 1:30 PM – This two-hour webinar provides an introduction to asphalt pavements and why they behave the way they do. Material properties and mixture components will be discussed, as well as their relationship to pavement performance. Quality control and recycled materials topics will also be included. PDHs available. Please register here.