"Happiness comes from following one's passion.
Success comes from work that you are passionate about."
-Anonymous
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New designations for Road Scholar learning levels. |
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Investing in me. .
When our agencies send us to training, the message is clear: we are a good investment. Allowing and encouraging us to participate in training opportunities means we are valued, our efforts make a difference, and that we we’re being given the tools to create a new and brighter future for ourselves and for our agencies. Simply stated, it means our agencies and our leaders care.
If you are blessed with a gruff or rugged boss and they recommend that you participate in a training event, turn the table and share a message of thanks and acknowledge that you appreciate the fact that they care. Your thoughtful response may just soften their edges a bit or lead to a grin.
Those that lead us down a path of continuous learning return from training and immediately share the knowledge. They pass along useful tips, share key learning info, develop and share calls to action, and strive for improvement. In their enthusiasm for learning and improving, the “invest in me,” turns into an “investment in WE!”
One of our UGPTI teammates, Satpal Wadhwa, often shares a message that expresses that essential truth in this way: “Knowledge shared is power multiplied!”
For years, some of the most enthusiastic learners among our road crew colleagues have been those enrolled in NDLTAP's Road Scholar Program. The have worked hard to improve themselves, their local agencies, and the local road system for users. In the coming months, watch for a roll-out of a revised and upgraded Road Scholar Program. The program will include new designations for the levels of learning and enhanced and reorganized courses to enhance learning for participants and to keep content relevant.
Together, we do great things! The NDLTAP team is pulling for you!
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Some of the best ideas and innovations come from North Dakota’s road crews. NDLTAP wants to help share those ideas so that others can benefit from them. This is the 25th year NDLTAP has honored and shared innovations through the Innovation Champions Contest. The 2021 first place winner was a guardrail maintainer developed by the Walsh County Highway Department. That entry went on to win a “Bold Award” from FHWA in the national contest. Other recent winners include an oil saver system developed by the Billings County Highway Department and a cutting edge rack that saves space and improves safety in the Dunn County Highway Department. A spring-loaded arm enhancement attachment to the gravel saver disc was honored with a Pioneer award in the national Build a Better Mousetrap contest in 2020. Winners for 2022 will be awarded at the North Central Regional Local Roads Conference in Rapid City, SD, on October 18-20. See all the ND entries at the NDLTAP Innovation Champions webpage. See national winners and entries from previous years at the FHWA Build a Better Mousetrap webpage.
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Tabor earns GIS technician certificate from BSC |
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The best road crew staffers never stop learning and growing. Lori Tabor, Dunn County road crew’s office manager, is a great example. Lori recently earned her GIS technician certification from Bismarck State College. You can see her work at the Dunn County Hub site. "I decided to pursue this certificate because the use of paper maps as a method of record keeping was very inefficient. I saw the need for collecting data in one place to make better informed decisions about future projects." Lori recognized Todd Miller, Stark County GIS expert, and David Lym, Dunn County road superintendent, for their mentorship and support.
Congratulations Lori!
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Tschetter and Mohamed featured in
‘Voices of Watford City’ video
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Dawn Tschetter, permitting specialist with the McKenzie County Road and Bridge Department, and Omar Mohamed, former assistant county engineer for McKenzie County, were recently featured in a “Voices of Watford” video. The video was produced to show how Watford City and McKenzie County have adapted to the rapid growth in the region and have become economically diverse with stability and opportunity for families. In addition to talking about the welcoming nature of the community and the opportunities for young families, Dawn and Omar also talk about the importance of their work to the development of road infrastructure and road safety in the region.
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Dunn Leads NRRA Flexible Team |
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Curt Dunn was recognized in May at the Minnesota Transportation Conference and Expo as new leader of the National Road Research Alliance’s Flexible Team. The flexible team is comprised of technical experts in the areas of new and rehabilitation of asphalt roadways. Activities include prioritization of short- and long-term research, development of long-term research test sections at the MnROAD research facility, and providing input to the technology transfer team on what should be marketed. Curt is NDDOT’s District Materials Coordinator in Grand Forks.
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NDLTAP Boots on the Ground Program –
Asphalt Short Course
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By Denise Brown, NDLTAP Program Coordinator
Boots on the Ground is offered to small communities and counties to share information about pavement preservation with the operators and laborers that do the work (those with their “boots on the ground” on North Dakota’s roads and streets). The on-site classes begin in the classroom with a review of pavement preservation methods and best practices, then continue in the field with road/street assessments and repair plan development. Boots on the Ground courses were offered in Kenmare, Burlington, Rugby, Ellendale, Wishek, and Linton earlier this summer. Sessions are tailored to individual city needs. Some classes include performance of field repairs and testing of new equipment. Tailored class and street inspection sessions are designed to help local staff understand their equipment, materials, street assessments, and repair options, and to provide hands-on assistance. The training is brought directly to small communities because crews are small, and equipment varies. In this way, repair plans can be tailored to specific problems. Subject matter experts included Rodney Ness from Swanston Equipment, Gerard Feist, NDLTAP asphalt consultant, and Tom Wood, pavement preservation specialist with ASTECH.
Learn more about the Boots on the Ground program from this webinar hosted by the ND League of Cities or visit the NDLTAP Boots on the Ground program page. Contact NDLTAP at ndltap@ugpti.org or 701-328-9855 if your city is interested in the Boots on the Ground Program. The program is sponsored in part by the ND Chapter of the American Public Works Association.
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Sign Warrior Calendar artists honored |
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County officials and local road department staff from Cass, Pembina, Emmons, Nelson, and Williams counties and the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation visited schools in Tower City, Cavalier, Linton, McVille, Williston, and Fort Totten in May to recognize student artists who contributed artwork to this year’s NDLTAP Sign Warrior Calendar.
What's a Sign Warrior? The Sign Warrior's motto "SAVE OUR SIGNS!" encourages 4th grade elementary-age youth to be alert to the four major dangers to North Dakota road signs: shooting, stealing, graffiti, and other damage. The program features a drawing contest so that young artists can help us illustrate the dangers and the efforts of the Sign Warrior to protect the state's signs.
This year, Native American artist Dennis Houle provided insight and advice on the calendar and helped select the winners. Download and print your own copy of this awesome calendar or view calendars from previous years!
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Thanks to our supporters! |
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Thanks to the ND Township Officers Association, the Western Dakota Energy Association. the ND Insurance Reserve Fund, the Northland Chapter of the American Traffic Safety Services Association, and the ND Chapter of the American Public Works Association for their ongoing support of NDLTAP programs. In particular, we’d like to highlight NDIRF for supplying the North Dakota Local Government Roads Signing Reference books for our sign training and also for helping to fund the ND County Road and Bridge Handbook. These two publications are important resources for our local road crews working to keep our transportation in good shape and to protect the traveling public.
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Women of Asphalt organization grows in ND |
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The Women of Asphalt organization is growing in North Dakota to support women making inroads in the asphalt industry. Women of Asphalt builds awareness of opportunities for women in the industry, elevates knowledge through education and resources, and provides platforms to create supportive relationships and growth. Become a member and network with others in their region through the Women of Asphalt Minnesota/Dakota Branch. Molly Barnes, Northern Improvement Company Executive Vice President, and Ken Swedeen, Executive Director of the Dakota Asphalt Pavement Association, highlighted the Women of Asphalt during the ND Asphalt Conference in March. NDLTAP's Denise Brown and NDDOT's Amy Beise are members of the Women of Asphalt Minnesota/Dakota.
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New additions to R3 library
highlight safety and dust control
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NDLTAP’s Road Ready Research fact sheets synthesize recent research for use by local road managers. Two recent additions to the library include:
“See Something – Say Something to Improve Roadway Safety and Save Lives” by Jon Jackels with SRF Consulting. Jackels notes, “Local agency maintenance forces are in the best position to be the 'eyes and ears' for local agencies when it comes to identifying traffic safety situations, that when addressed, could greatly improve safety for the traveling public. These range from removing debris from the roadway to identifying the need for infrastructure improvements to addressing roadside hazards or improving roadway conditions such as ponding of water or drifting of snow on the roadway. Each agency can contribute to improving the infrastructure and road safety by defining the significance of roadway safety problems for all of their maintenance forces.
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Regional Local Roads Conference
is October 18-20
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The 37th Annual North Central Regional Local Roads Conference is a valuable investment for your agency or enterprise. It is the most affordable local road conference in the nation and provides an opportunity to learn and share ideas about building and maintaining safe, local roadways. The conference will showcase about 70 vendors/exhibitors and will be a great chance for you to network with others involved in the world of local roads. Target audience for this conference is highway superintendents/county engineers, municipal street managers, equipment operators, consulting engineers, and elected officials.
NDLTAP is hosting a bus trip to Rapid City for the conference. Bus stops will include Fargo, Valley City, Jamestown, Bismarck, and Dickinson. Lunches on the bus are sponsored by the ND Insurance Reserve Fund (NDIRF) and TENSAR Corporation.
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NDSU Extension offers tips for
safely sharing the road with ag equipment
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Thanks to NDSU Extension farm and ranch safety coordinator Angie Johnson for sharing tips for safely sharing the road with farm equipment. From 2016 to 2019, the North Dakota Department of Transportation Safety Division recorded 212 motor vehicle crashes involving farm equipment. Of those, 70% occurred at non-junctions on roadways, while 22% occurred at intersections. Johnson offers tips for both farm machine operators as well as for motorists. Many of the tips can be applied to local road workers and their equipment. “Regardless of whether you are driving farm equipment or a motor vehicle, wear your seatbelt and put the cellphone away,” says Johnson. “Distracted driving is dangerous and illegal.”
Thanks also to Monica Fitterer, NDSU agriculture and natural resources agent in Kidder County, as well as others who shared this important message in their counties.
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Johnson honored at Western Energy Roundtable |
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The annual Western Dakota Energy Roundtable is co-hosted by the Western Dakota Energy Association, NDDOT, and the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute to provide an opportunity for county leadership in the western oil counties to glean recent technical information and share best practices with their peers. The event brings together county road managers and oilfield truck interests together to discuss common issues and concerns. The first roundtable was held in 2011 and has been held annually since 2014. This year’s event featured updates from counties in the region, NDDOT, WDEA, the MHA nation, industry representatives, and townships. Lieutenant Governor Brent Sanford was a special guest at this year’s roundtable. UGPTI Western Liaison Matt Johnson was honored with an Exceptional Service Award to recognize his work with county and tribal staff on a wide variety of transportation topics and issues across the region.
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Introducing new UGPTI/NDLTAP employees |
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Joy Annette is tribal outreach coordinator for UGPTI/NDLTAP. Joy retired from UGPTI in March after nearly three years as UGPTI’s tribal liaison to spend more time with family. As the UGPTI Tribal Liaison, she expanded worked closely with the NDLTAP team. We are excited that she has returned on a part-time basis to assist with NDLTAP’s tribal outreach efforts. Her tribal experience and understanding allow her to work with tribal nations in our region in a trusted, cooperative, and energetic way. Her background in various tribal programs affords her the opportunity to see the big picture and to build links between tribal nations and other jurisdictions.
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Ron Hall, president of the Colorado-based Bubar & Hall Consulting, LLC, has been named manager of the Tribal Transportation Program for UGPTI. Hall has an extensive background and expertise in tribal relations related to transportation infrastructure, cultural resource management, and workforce development and is recognized as a national expert in Native American transportation law and policy. "Ron's expertise and contacts among tribes in the region as well as in state and federal government will make him a valuable addition to our staff as we continue to expand our outreach and service to tribal partners across the region," noted UGPTI Director Denver Tolliver.
Hall will be based in Colorado and will work with UGPTI along with tribal governments and state agencies across the region with the goal of engaging tribal nations in prioritizing and promoting activities related to transportation planning, safety, asset management, consultation, and policy development.
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Jody Jones joined NDLTAP in February as an administrative technician with the North Dakota Local Technical Assistance Program in UGPTI's Bismarck Office. She will be the first point of contact for NDLTAP clients and will assist with program development and delivery across the state. Jones has 18 years of experience in the concrete products industry, which helped to hone her skills in logistics, marketing, engineering quotes, plan production, scheduling, transport coordination and dispatch. She also has skills in fostering relationships with colleagues and clients.
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Kenneth Steiner became UGPTI Township Transportation funding specialist in February. In that position he will work with townships across the state to develop proposals for NDDOT's Township Transportation Funding Program. As part of the effort, Steiner will help develop proposals to federal funding to match state funding for township transportation infrastructure projects. An emphasis in the program is on projects that repair routes between multiple townships with a connection to higher level county or state roads. Steiner has more than 28 years of senior administrative experience in a variety of settings, including private business ownership, state government, and nonprofit entities across North Dakota and Minnesota. He has worked on a variety of issues from children's mental health to medical research to transportation.
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Judy Volk joined NDLTAP/UGPTI in June as a special projects assistant. Judy will be assisting with the transit inventory project that UGPTI conducts under contract with NDDOT. She will also assist with other projects as needed in the office. Judy previously worked with Job Service North Dakota and with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation in the office of the ND Attorney General. She has extensive background in data collection, responding to information requests, dealing with the pubic, conducting training, and grant writing.
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GRIT poster earns honors at national conference |
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A poster featuring UGPTI’s Geographic Roadway Inventory Tool (GRIT) was awarded second place by attendees at the 2022 National LTAP/TTAP conference. The NDLTAP staff selected GRIT as the topic and developed the poster with assistance from UGPTI graphic designer Bev Trittin. Matt Johnson, UGPTI/NDLTAP western transportation liaison presented the poster and provided background information on GRIT. This easy-to-use asset management program was developed for county road managers to identify assets within the roadway system and help identify future maintenance needs. New features are continually added to the tool. One recent addition is the ability to add major/minor structures in the system. The GRIT program has expanded into Minnesota, South Dakota, and Montana. Matt received several questions during his presentation, with many focusing on how the program operates and how their organizations can utilize this program.
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Township officers go above and beyond
when facing floods
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Flooding this spring caused significant damage to roadways across the region. Thanks to all of our township officials who went above and beyond to close flooded roads, inspect them before reopening, and to assess culverts, bridges and other structures for safety. Their exemplary efforts assure residents have a safe local roadway network.
Special thanks to Roger Parrow, Cass County sign lead, for his desire to help township officers and for sharing a message about emergency signing practices.
Roger notes that emergency conditions, such as flooding, require prompt action to save the lives of the traveling public. “When roads are overtopped by flowing water, the risk of culverts failing and roadways washing away creates hidden hazards. The water surface hides potential problems. Flowing water is powerful, with the potential to quickly erode a roadbed and shift materials downstream. A roadbed that was safe to traverse when overtopping started can become a vehicle-engulfing gully in minutes. Additionally, flowing water is powerful. It only takes a foot of flowing water to push a vehicle off the road. While it is always best to follow the current state of practice for signing road closures, for local officials, the need to act quickly is paramount to using the full and ‘correct’ signing layout. Acting quickly means taking action with the resources at hand. In other words, do something and do it fast.”
Watch for new resources coming soon from NDLTAP on emergency signing practices and how to close and assess flooded local roadways.
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Over the past several months, NDDOT has posted numerous “Throwback Thursday” posts to Facebook highlighting photos from its library. Those posts are great fun to look at and remind us how far we’ve come in terms of technology, safety, techniques, and equipment. What we have in common with the people in those photos is a commitment to improved transportation, continuous learning, and improvement, and dedication to the job at hand. Thanks to NDDOT for posting these memories. Go look them up and follow NDDOT on your favorite social media platform. |
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Farewell and hello to key leaders |
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Our belated congratulations to Blake Crosby on his retirement in December as executive director of the North Dakota League of Cities. Blake provided great leadership and service to North Dakota’s cities. Blake was the seventh executive director to serve the North Dakota League of Cities, beginning in 2013. He was a member of the board of directors for the North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund, a member of the Economic Development Association of North Dakota, and a member of Rotary District 5580 District Grants Committee.
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Matthew Gardner was named as the next executive director effective January 1. Since 2018, Gardner had been the government relations director for the Greater North Dakota Chamber (GNDC) where he served as the primary lobbyist and oversaw policy development and outreach. Prior to working at GNDC, he served as the chief of grants, trails, and planning for ND Parks and Recreation, where he worked extensively on the department’s legislative efforts and with public and private sector partners across the state. He has also been a small business owner. The ND League of Cities provides service, advocacy, leadership, education, and support to the state’s 357 cities.
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Kevin Fieldsend retired from the NDLTAP Advisory Board after 14 years of dedicated service and leadership representing the ND Association of County Engineers. Kevin is originally from Park Rapids, MN, but has worked in Ramsey County for 22 years. He is the first vice chair on the ND Association of Counties Board of Directors representing the ND Association of County Engineers. He serves on the State Transportation Innovation Team and is the past president of the ND Association of Counties.
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Roger Parrow retired as sign lead in Cass County in July after 35 years. Before joining Cass County, he spent 14 years with Northern Improvement Company. Roger shared stories about learning from those doing the work, about his partnership with the NDDOT, his appreciation for the exceptional service from the sign companies, his admiration and support for the dedicated law enforcement officers, and for the opportunity to be part of the Cass County team. His most memorable events were the floods of 1997, 2009, and 2011. The hardship that the floods brought were offset/rewarded by the lives they saved.
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In June, the NDLTAP Advisory Board met to provide input and direction for the 2023 NDLTAP program. The board meets twice a year, but individual members frequently provide input and assistance. A highlight of our spring social was provided by Dennis Houle, Sign Warrior Calendar artist, who joined us to share some background on his latest art pieces.
Our program is successful because of our board members’ commitment to challenge and encourage our efforts. View members the entire membership of our board at https://www.ndltap.org/about/board.php.
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UGPTI biennial local road & bridge
investment needs study published
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North Dakota will need to invest more than $10.5 billion over the next 20 years to maintain local, township, and tribal roads and bridges according to a recently published UGPTI study. That amount includes $6.5 billion for unpaved roads, $3.29 billion for paved roads, and $715 million for bridges. That's an increase of nearly 14% over the estimates provided in a similar report released two years ago. The increase is primarily driven by inflation in construction and component prices, but declines in road and bridge conditions account for a portion of the increased needs.
The report was drafted at the request of the North Dakota Legislature. The legislature will use the report to guide the distribution of funding to counties under the provisions of House Bill 1066, commonly known as Operation Prairie Dog. The legislation provides $115 million designated to counties and townships.
In early July, UGPTI staff held meetings with local officials in Devils Lake, Valley City, Mandan, and Watford City to outline statewide findings and to take input on refining data from townships and counties. The report and presentations from the meetings are posted at https://www.ugpti.org/downloads/road_needs/.
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Dates to remember and upcoming conferences: |
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February 1-3, 2023 – NDACE Roads Conference
April 11-12, 2023 – ND Asphalt Conference
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On behalf of the NDLTAP team,
Thank you!
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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.
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NDLTAP and its programs are sponsored by FHWA, ND Department of Transportation, Western Dakota Energy Association, ND Insurance Reserve Fund, ND Township Officers Association, the Northland Chapter of the American Traffic Safety Services Association, and ND chapter of the American Public Works Association. |
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Contact us @ NDLTAP 515 1/2 E Broadway, Ste 101, Bismarck ND 58501 -
NDLTAP Newsletter editor is UGPTI Communications Coordinator Tom Jirik
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NDSU does not discriminate in its programs and activities on the basis of age, color, gender expression/identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, participation in lawful off-campus activity, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, public assistance status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, spousal relationship to current employee, or veteran status, as applicable. Direct inquiries to: Vice Provost, Title IX/ADA Coordinator, Old Main 201, 701-231-7708, ndsu.eoaa@ndsu.edu.
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