Biweekly #108

• Improving the Effectiveness of Zipper Merge Lane Control in Freeway Work Zones, Thursday, 1/30 at 12:00 PM – The late merge, or “zipper” merge, has become a common strategy to increase work zone capacity by encouraging drivers to stay in their lanes until they reach a defined merge area, where they alternately merge (i.e., similar to a zipper). This one-hour webinar will focus on a project that examined driver comprehension of the zipper merge using a road user survey, which provided insights as to how well drivers understand and comply with this lane control strategy. These results were complemented by a series of field studies in Michigan and Missouri, allowing for an assessment of how behavior varied under different traffic conditions and in the presence/absence of supplementary signage. The results can help state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other road agencies understand how and where to consider use of the zipper merge as compared to traditional early merge lane control. Registration can be found here.
• Utility Permitting Practices for Public Rights of Way, Thursday, 2/20 at 12:00 PM – This webinar will summarize a research study investigating utility permitting requirements and the variability of permitting practices. The resulting recommendations suggest that there is a need to work toward more uniform utility permitting practices across cities, counties, and municipalities for building practice efficiency and data uniformity. Building such efficiency will assist utility companies in understanding expectations and delivering uniform products for meeting permitting regulations and requirements. This webinar is planned for one hour. Registration and more information can be found here.
• Pavement Management Resources for Local Agencies, Thursday, 5/15 at 12:00 PM – This free one-hour webinar will include a comprehensive overview of the essential data sets, tools, and services available to local agencies for effective pavement management. Attendees will gain insights into optimizing their pavement management strategies and ensuring sustainable, high-quality road networks for their communities. Registration and more information can be found here.

Biweekly #108

• Iowa Work Zone Safety Workshops, Thursday, 2/20 (Ottumwa); Tuesday, 2/25 (Council Bluffs); Thursday, 2/27 (Ankeny); Tuesday, 3/4 (Storm Lake); Tuesday, 3/11 (Cedar Falls); Wednesday, 3/12 (Cedar Rapids); and Tuesday, 3/25 (Ankeny) – During the months of February and March, work zone traffic control and safety training will be offered at several Iowa venues so that workers across the state can participate conveniently. The workshops consist of a general session for all participants, plus breakout sessions tailored to specific categories of work zone activities: city, county, utility, and Iowa DOT maintenance. Note: These city and county sessions cover work zone subjects not covered in any LTAP training (e.g., detour signing examples, walk-throughs of work zone setup typicals, and signing exercise), and no flagger training is provided. For more information and to register, please go here.

Biweekly #108

• Basic Work Zone Safety and Flagger Train the Trainer Workshop, Thursday, 2/6 (Ames) – This workshop is designed to teach city public works and county secondary roads personnel how to train others in work zone safety and flagger duties. This workshop is essential for improving safety and ensuring that those responsible for managing traffic in work zones are well-trained and understand proper work zone safety and flagger principles. All relevant materials and a PowerPoint training presentation are included for participants. This event is free to attend, but registration is required. Registration and more information about computer requirements for attendance can be found here.

Biweekly #108

• Steel Bridges for Local Communities (MN LTAP), Wednesday, 1/15 at 10:00 AM – This webinar will present overviews of several topics from the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA). The topics will include: short span steel bridges and eSPAN140; bridge economy and life-cycle costs of steel and concrete bridges; prefabricated steel bridges and accelerated bridge construction; DIY: local crews building county bridges; simple-for-dead, continuous-for-live steel bridge construction; and education resources through the SSSBA. More information and registration can be found here.
• Bridge Maintenance Training 101 (Bridge Preservation Partnership), Wednesday, 1/15 at 11:00 AM – This webinar will explain why bridge maintenance is so important and run through common maintenance activities. A variety of examples have been developed to help participants understand the importance of incorporating these bridge preservations. Use this link to attend.
• Appia Training for Local Agency Personnel and Consultants (Iowa DOT), Wednesday, 1/15 (Manning); Monday, 2/3 (Washington); Thursday, 2/20 (Ames); and Tuesday, 3/11 (Monticello) – 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 processes. The class will include an overview of the application, a demonstration of the application, and a hands-on training exercise. This class is meant for new users and those who need a substantial refresher, but attendees of any knowledge level are welcome. Although a license is required for actual product use, an agency/business does not need an Appia license to attend training. More information and registration can be found here.
• Construction Field Inspection Courses (Iowa DOT), Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1/15 and 1/16 (PCC Paving); and 1/29 and 1/30 (Structures), and Tuesday and Wednesday 2/11 and 2/12 (HMA Paving) – There available spots in these courses (although the structures course may be wait-listed at this time) and are good for anyone with upcoming projects in the subject area or new employees. These had been offered in March but were moved to January this year based on feedback. More detail about what is included in each course and registration can be found here.
• Federal-Aid Overview Seminar 2025 (Iowa DOT), Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1/22 and 1/23 (Boone), 2/12 and 2/13 (Hiawatha), and 2/26 and 2/27 (Denison) – The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) Local Systems Bureau hosts Federal-Aid Overview Seminars. This training is for anyone working on federal-aid projects for a local public agency, including cities, counties, consultants, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and regional planning affiliations (RPAs). The Federal-Aid Overview Seminar is broken into two days for each training. Day 1 will be focused on pre-construction activities, including project programming, project concept, environmental overview, project development, right-of-way, and letting. Day 2 will focus on construction inspection and contract administration, including construction inspection, contract administration, materials inspection, Doc Express, Appia, and project close-out. More information and registration can be found here.