October-November 2018 - No. 1
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Focus on safety
As the NDDOT launched their Vision Zero campaign, the image of dusty gravel roads immediately came to mind.   When semis collide in a gravel road dust storm, bad things happen.  What can we do?  Let’s start with the premise that crashes are not accidents, they are all preventable (aka, Vision Zero).  So what can we do to help prevent harm to our family and friends as they travel our roadway network? Better gravel, maintaining quality roadway signing, reduced speed zones, hauling legal loads, and raising the bar for driver focus are a few key areas that are in our control and should be part of our daily goals.

Almost all of NDLTAP's efforts are tied in some way to safety.

  • Our new Sign 201 class and our Sign Warriors program both focus on making sure signs are maintained and visible.

  • The Gravel Road Warrior program emphasizes keeping gravel roads in top condition -- a key element in making them safe.

  • Our recent Truck Summit for county employees focused on safe loading and operation of trucks -- important for the safety of employees and those who share the road with them.

  • Planning is underway for the 2019 Asphalt Conference. Well-constructed paved roads are safer roads for the traveling public.

Vision Zero isn’t just a cool tagline; it’s a focus area for all of us to make improvements in materials, processes and driving habits so that we all get home safely every day.  
New county leadership: 
Morton County Road Superintendent Chad Schneider

Chad Schneider was promoted to Morton County Road Superintendent effective Oct. 1. Gary Jochim, the interim superintendent, will be retiring Oct. 31.  Note that Gary delayed his retirement to help the county prepare for this leadership hand off. That's a testament to his commitment to his teammates. Chad grew up in Linton. He started trucking with his dad, hauling cattle, grain, and other commodities. He went on to purchase the trucking business, running it for 16 years prior to joining the Morton County team.  He loves Morton County and is thankful for the opportunity to be home with his family. Chad has served on the Burleigh County Apple Creek Township Board, making a difference by overseeing its road portfolio. In Morton County, Chad has been a blade operator, worked on the gravel and sign crews, and helped out in other areas as needed. Chad's goals in his new position are clear: to keep the public and commissioners informed of road activities; to continue the advancement of dirt and bridge improvements; to plan the future in partnership with the Morton County Road Commission (a committee under the county commission); to improve roadway safety; and to let his crew weigh in and be part of all decisions. Way to go Morton County! Chad is a great choice. Good things are down the road. 
 
Rest of the story: Linton is apparently a source of great leaders. Wayne Klein, Burleigh County Road Superintendent and Chad’s classmate, also recently advanced on the leadership ladder.   
Denise’s cancer journey
Denise Brown received great news last week in Rochester. . . CANCER-FREE! Reconstructive surgery is planned for Dec. 19. Great news on the surgery, it will be much less invasive than expected. She asks that we all keep her in our thoughts and prayers.  At every opportunity, Denise reminds us to cherish our family and friends. She also shares that she is happy that she GETS to go to work where she can use her talents to help others. Our LTAP team is also happy that Denise is back and that we all GET to go to work.  
New gravel surfacing special provision announced
Bryon Fuchs, NDDOT, and I are pleased to announce that the new Gravel Surfacing Special Provision is available. NDDOT team members Eric Gaasland and Justin Ramsey helped prepare the provision that expands on gradation and material properties to include testing and quality assurance/quality control. This special provision is available for immediate use and is already in one set of plans for the November bid opening. 

We are hopeful that you can use this gravel surfacing spec in upcoming projects and to bid out stockpiles. Quality gravel pays. Remember that chlorides and stabilization materials such as permazyme and base 1 all require a clay component to perform optimally. Reduced wash boarding, dust, float, and maintenance cost all mean safer roads and safer roads save lives.

Download the following documents for more information:


Sign Warrior: Creating a strong safety culture

NDLTAP recently introduced the Sign Warrior program to have fourth grade students initiate a change in culture that will reduce sign vandalism damage. We've asked fourth graders across the state to develop posters focused on the Sign Warrior's efforts to "save our signs!" The top 16 posters will be made into a calendar and distributed around the state in an effort to recognize the students' ideas on how to make North Dakota roads safer. 

Through the effort, fourth grade students will help make sure all of our family members and friends get home safe every night. The Sign Warrior program hopes to draw on the persuasive power of kids to initiate a change in culture. Much like how kids have helped change the seat belt culture ("Hey, Grandpa! You have to put your seat belt on!"), we're hoping kids will prompt behavior change when it comes to vandalizing and damaging signs.

If you haven't already heard about our Sign Warrior program, reach out to your road superintendent or your sign crew at the county level and ask how kids in your area can participate in the poster contest. Posters will be accepted through the middle of November and calendars will be released in December. Winning students will receive a certificate, copies of the calendar, and a personal thank-you from the American Traffic Safety Services (ATSSA) president and the NDLTAP director. ATSSA, whose tagline is "Safer Roads Save Lives," is collaborating in the program.
 
 
Below: Early entries in the Sign Warrior Poster Contest have already begun to arrive at the NDLTAP office.
 
Signing 201 course launched

Our new Signing 201 course expands on what you learned in Signing 101 with the following topics:
  • Sign ordering
  • Sign inventory systems
  • Tips from a pro
  • Group design layout worksheets
  • A sign truck virtual segment
This training is perfect for new county, township or city sign personnel. It's also a great refresher for seasoned sign crew members. Township officers, city staff, county commissioners, road superintendents and others in supervisory roles will also benefit from the information exchange.

Signing 201 will be Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Morton County Highway Department, 2916 37th St. NW, Building A, Door 3 in Mandan. Register by Nov. 7. All participants will be invoiced a $50 registration fee by NDLTAP after the training.

Download and print a poster to post at your location to encourage participation.
Walsh County Road Day a resounding success!

More than 300 Walsh County residents attended the Walsh County Road Day Aug. 1 which highlighted the hard work and capabilities of the Walsh County Highway Department. NDLTAP staff (particularly Sandy Baisch) worked with Sharon Lipsh, Walsh County Superintendent of Highways, to organize the event. Highlights included a backhoe rodeo contest, information booths and equipment showcase. Guests included NDDOT director Tom Sorel, and Major Tom Iverson of the ND Highway Patrol who used the event to designate Park River as a Vision Zero Community -- the first such designation in the state. Rich Sanders, president of the National Association of County Engineers also made remarks.

Pictured below is "Team Orange," the Walsh County road crew. The event was a fantastic opportunity for us to celebrate the accomplishments of the road crew and to help the residents understand the value and job functions of the crew. Visitors were able to spend time on the equipment to potentially think about careers with the county. The event was also an opportunity for Commissioners to publicly say "Thank you!" and "We're proud of you!" to the team. A big shout out to Sharon and her crew for a fantastic County Road Day! In January, we will announce the location of the 2019 County Road Day.
Motor-Grader Operator Training continues

Denise Brown has been traveling around the state this fall with our new blade instructors, Russell Klimpel, Mountrail County, and Gary Steiner, Burleigh County. Thanks to both Burleigh and Mountrail counties for allowing us to tap into their talents and share their expertise. The map below shows our blade training outreach in 2018. We plan to make this a long-term commitment. Contact Denise at denise.brown.1@ndsu.edu to sign up for blade training next year.
You ARE a leader!

Leanna Emmer and I will be teaching a special "I am a Leader" class Nov. 27- 28 in Bismarck. The class is a special offering for equipment operators, office staff, foremen, and new road superintendents and is intended to jump start your leadership abilities so that you are a better team player, able to take on new responsibilities, and be poised to move up the ladder. You'll learn how to:
  • Become a person of influence
  • Learn to lead from any position
  • Develop your career ladder
  • Grow your leadership skills
  • Learn life skills for success

We still have a couple spots open. Cost of the class is $50 and each participant will receive a copy of the book You Don't Need a TITLE to be a Leader . To sign up, contact Leanna Emmer at leanna.emmer@ndsu.edu .
Truck Summits draw big crowds
More than 100 county truck and equipment operators from across the state learned proper loading and operating techniques and safety essentials at two Truck Summits held in September in Barnes and Dunn counties. The events, organized by NDLTAP, featured hands-on training by equipment specialists, safety experts and law enforcement. The events were based on the premise that county employees can lead the way in assuring road and workplace safety and compliance with road weight regulations if they receive proper training. 
Save the date!

The 69th Annual North Dakota County Roads Conference is scheduled for Jan. 29-31 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. Notice that the event has been renamed and rebranded. Shawn Mayfield, conference chair, is putting together an exciting conference agenda. This conference, organized by the ND Association of County Engineers is a "must attend" event for all county road crew leads and county commissioners with road portfolios. Mark your calendar and watch for the upcoming NDLTAP "Bring a Commissioner" challenge.

Hotel accommodations are available at the adjoining Canad Inns Destination Center. Please use NDACE Annual Conference #389045 for your reservation request. Rooms are guaranteed until Dec. 28, so reserve early! Call toll free at 1-888-332-2623 or visit www.canadinns.com for details.
2019 ND Asphalt Conference set for April 3-4

If you love asphalt, mark your calendar and plan to attend the ND Asphalt Conference in Bismarck April 3-4. The conference steering committee recently met to plan the event and it's shaping up to be another powerful learning opportunity that will help our roads. The motto for the 2019 event is: Learn - Evolve - Implement. Watch for more detail coming soon.

Asphalt Conference Photo Contest

Do you have a special asphalt paving photo that you are particularly proud of? Share it with us so that we can use it for conference marketing material. Photo submissions can be sent to sandra.baisch@ndsu.edu . Winner will get some cool NDSU/UGPTI swag.
Upcoming from NDLTAP

For a complete listing of NDLTAP training, go online to www.ndltap.org .  Upcoming special events: Signing 201, Nov 14 in Mandan; Safety 365 -- A safety Workshop for Local Governments, Nov. 19 in Linton and Nov. 20 in Carrington.  
Be safe!
Our Mission

To foster safe, efficient, environmentally sound, and cost effective North Dakota highway, road, and street systems by exchanging transportation technology with North Dakota's local units of government and transportation community through training, technical assistance, and information services as part of the US FHWA's nationwide LTAP network.
Contact us @ NDLTAP 515 1/2 E Broadway, Ste 101, Bismarck ND 58501 -
(701) 328-9855 or ndltap@ugpti.org
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