CALTAP Celebrates National Public Works Week!

This week is dedicated to the public service professionals who keep our cities running smoothly. Whether it's the roads we see and drive on everyday or the water and sewer systems that are hidden beneath the surfaces, public service professionals are the backbone of all our infrastructures. 

This year's theme "Rooted in Service, Powered by Community" acknowledges that the roots of service run deep in public works—propelling innovations that help communities evolve into places where people can lead lives of purpose and possibility. Share how your agency or community is celebrating!

Federal Aid Series: Right-of-Way Training

May 27–28, 2026, 8:30am–12pm PT

CALTAP is hosting a two-day online training detailing the high-level process and procedures for completion of project right of way work. This training outlines state & federal regulations that Local Public Agencies must follow for compliance with Uniform Act 49 CFR Part 24 & 23 CFR Part 710, required when completing Right of Way activities on projects with federal aid.

Webinar Topics:

• RoW Requirements for Federal Aid Projects
• Understanding RoW & Utility Processes
• Methods to Accomplish RoW Deliverables

Construction Contracting Opportunities

May 20, 2026, 4pm–6pm PT

The Alameda County Transportation Commission is hosting an in-person construction contracting opportunities information session and networking event at its Oakland offices.

This event will highlight anticipated construction advertisements for bid, including East Bay Greenway Multimodal / San Leandro Segment, East Bay Greenway Multimodal / Oakland North, San Pablo Avenue Parallel Bike Improvements, and San Pablo Avenue Safety Enhancements.

Webinar: How Smarter 
Signals Can Boost Freight Movement

May 21, 2026, 11am–12pm PT



Join Caltrans DRISI as they explore how smarter traffic signal technologies can improve freight movement and enhance safety.

Webinar Topics:

• How advanced detection tools support real-time Freight Signal Priority
• How smart traffic signal strategies can improve travel times for trucks
• Where Freight Priority Systems can be applied along California highways
• How these technologies can reduce community impacts
• What this research offers engineers—from design to implementation

Webinar: 5 Ways AI Gives 
Procurement Teams Their Time Back

May 26, 2026, 11am–12pm PT

Attend this free webinar to learn how AI is giving time back to procurement teams. You'll learn what the task looks like today, where the time goes, and how AI changes the equation, leaving you with a practical picture of where AI fits into the procurement process and how to think about it for your team.

Learning Objectives:

• Which procurement tasks are most ready for AI, and why
• How AI scope building cuts solicitation development time by up to 90%
• How vendor discovery & addendum management work with AI in the loop
• What to ask when evaluating AI tools for your procurement workflow

Peer Exchange: Advancing 
Safety Through the CSSA

May 28, 2026, 12pm–1pm PT

Hear how the City of Wildomar moved from safety planning to actionable safety improvement changes through their partnership with SafeTREC's Complete Streets Safety Assessment (CSSA).

This Peer Exchange will have attendees sharing roadblocks and strategies for navigating grant funding, their experience applying AB43 and installing speed reduction infrastructure to tackle unsafe speeds, and more.

Webinar: Local HSIP Cycle 13 Call for Projects

June 2, 2026, 9am–10am PT

Caltrans DLA and FHWA present this KEY info-session on the latest details for California’s Local Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 13 Call-for-Projects, an announcement for which is expected shortly.

The approximately $370M in HSIP funds will cover two application categories: Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) and Funding Set-asides. 

Webinar: Aligning Engineering & Public Works

June 9, 2026, 9am–10pm PT

The Engineering Workforce Consortium is hosting a free webinar showcasing how some innovative engineering programs provide educational experiences that emphasize communication, teamwork, and innovation.

Learning Objectives:

• Examine how engineering & PWX curriculums align with industry needs
• Identify how industry & PWX can strengthen engineering programs
• Evaluate successful models of innovative engineering and public works education programs that incorporate microcredentials

Training: Procurement Best Practices

June 24-25, 2026, 8am–4pm PT

The Center for Tribal Transportation (CTT) is hosting a two-day training program on Procurement Best Practices in Fountain Hills, AZ.

This training is designed specifically for tribal transportation professionals who want to learn the full scope of the procurement document drafting process.

Learning Objectives:

• Apply the correct procurement method at every dollar threshold
• Draft compliant RFPs and RFQs for all TTP vendor categories
• Document Indian preference at every step of procurement
• Score proposals consistently and defend the selection decision
• Identify and respond to bid protests
• Review contracts for missing Appendix II provisions and risk clauses
• Write a legally defensible sole-source justification (J&A)
• Build and monitor a long-lead item register
• Prepare a procurement file that withstands federal audit

Webinar: Mounted Attenuators 
for Work Zone Safety

July 27, 2026, 11am–12pm PT

"Investigation of Innovations in Mounted Attenuators for Safety in Work Zones" is a research results webinar that investigates the use of attenuators that could be mounted to a truck or automated to travel a specific distance behind a lead vehicle that serves as a barrier to crews working on the highways.

Other Upcoming Trainings & Events

Asphalt Paving Placement & Compaction | May 21, 2026, 11:30–1:30pm

This free 2-hour webinar continues the discussion of best practices in asphalt paving, specifically focusing on placement and compaction

AI Data Collection for Asset Management | May 21, 2026, 11am–12pm

This month's Innovation Exchange Webinar explores how data and AI are transforming asset management and infrastructure decision-making

Pavement Marking & Installation | June 2-3, 2026, 8am–11am

This training explores the standard types and uses of pavement markings and explains marking installation preparation, marking application and inspection

Safe Flagger Operations & Required PPE | June 2, 2026, 5:30am–9am

Review the basic elements of roadway work zones for two-lane temporary traffic control, with an emphasis on rural and urban applications

ATSSA Flagger Training | June 3, 2026, 8am–12pm

Join one of two workshops in Reno to learn proper flagger operations, the skillset of a good flagger, standard flagger control references, & best practices

Pavement Design for Local Agencies | June 4, 2026, 11:30am–1:30am

This webinar explores considerations for determining necessary pavement thickness for applications in a local setting

Asphalt Maintenance: Treatment Options | June 9, 2026, 11:30am–1:30am

Learn about alternative surface treatments that can lengthen the life of pavement, including chip seals, hybrid chip seals, slurry seals, & others

Working With Local Media | June 9, 2026, 7am–8:30am

Attend this free webinar to learn about practical strategies for building strong and collaborative relationships with journalists and news organizations

Child Passenger Safety Certification | June 9-12, 2026, 8am–12pm

This certification course conducted in Blue Lake, CA, presents the proper use of car seats, booster seats, seat belts, and vehicle safety systems

APWA Legislative Day in Sacramento | June 10, 2026, 8:30am–5pm

Join APWA and ASCE for an impactful legislative day to make your voice heard on the issues shaping California's infrastructure future

Women Leaders Share Transportation Vision

With women continuing to advance into leadership roles at state departments of transportation, five female state DOT CEOs shared their insights on the industry’s future during the “AASHTO Panel: Voices of Vision” session at the 2026 WTS International Conference in Los Angeles, CA.

Panelists covered a broad range of topics, including how they are leveraging technological innovation to bolster their operations while preparing state DOT employees for change. Their message to women in the field was clear: take risks, say yes to opportunities even when you don’t feel fully ready, invest in your teams, and lead with purpose.

Build a Better Mousetrap 2026

CALTAP is excited to announce the launch of California’s 2026 Build a Better Mousetrap (BABM) statewide competition.

Celebrating local ingenuity on a national platform, this federally sponsored initiative recognizes agencies across the country who are using innovation to solve transportation-related problems that improve job safety and efficiency.

Eligible solutions must be locally relevant and could include anything from the development of a new project design/delivery process to the invention of a new tool, equipment, or modification that increases efficiency, enhances safety, reduces cost, and/or improves the quality of local road transportation.

SWCPA Presents EPIC Awards

The Southwest Concrete Pavement Association (SWCPA) presented EPIC Awards to six projects this year during the California Concrete Pavement Conference on Wednesday, April 22nd. EPIC stands for Excellence in Paving & Infrastructure Concrete.

Awardees:

• Partnership: FlatironDragados & Skanska
• Elevated Roadway Construction: Skanska
• Construction in a Challenging Environment: Gordon Stout, Myers & Sons
• Construction of a New Alignment & Roundabout: Teichert Construction
• Military Airfield Paving: Southwest Concrete Paving Company (SWCP)
• Innovation in Traffic Reconfiguring: Security Paving Co.

Amended NOFO: Bridge Investment Program

USDOT/FHWA released an amendment to the FY26 Bridge Improvement Program (BIP) NOFO that better aligns it with Administration priorities and provides a process for FY2025 applications to amend their applications.

Research: Interdependence of Transportation Funding & Ownership

NCHRP's Interdependence of Federal, State, & Local Transportation Funding & Ownership explores interdependent funding in the transportation community, the strategies to manage it, and the outcomes of funding interdependences.

This will help policy and decision-makers calibrate contextual decisions about generating and using funding in an interdependent environment, and gives decision-makers an understanding of both broad approaches and specific strategies that agencies at all levels of government are using to navigate interdependent transportation funding.

Research: Liability Mitigation Framework

Geotab's "The Liability Mitigation Framework" serves as a data-driven guide to operational, compliance and environmental oversight for municipal fleets.

This Guide Can Help You:

• Refute operator liability and property damage claims
• Avoid negligence lawsuits by digitally tracking levels of compliance
• Limit environmental liability by monitoring materials spread/pickup rates

Other Recordings, Research, & Reports

PWX Radio: Snow Business

The latest edition of APWA's Public Works Radio reviews the April 26-29 North American Snow Conference in Cleveland, OH.

APWA Reporter Magazine: May 2026

The May issue showcases smart-city readiness roadmaps, Toronto's equity-based green streets program, and the future of public works in Raleigh, NC.

Recording: Mini & Modular Roundabouts

Learn how roundabout configurations represent a low-cost, quick construction, & traffic calming solution that will be competitive in HSIP Cycle 13

Recording: LSA Program Emergency Work Notifications

A recording of the April 21st, 2026, webinar on Lake & Streambed Alteration Emergency Work Notifications is now available

EDC Round 8

The Every Day Counts (EDC) program is rolling out six new initiatives to help transportation agencies deliver projects faster & build safer transportation

PWX Radio: Sentinel Animals

The latest edition "Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? To Serve Our Communities" discusses the benefits of sentinel animals with 3 field experts

Steel Bridge Collaboration Guidelines

AASHTO and the National Steel Bridge Alliance have jointly released two new stainless steel bridge collaboration publications

Transportation Planning in Non-Metropolitan/Rual Areas

NCHRP's latest report highlights strategies employed by state DOTs to ensure effective coordination with non-metropolitan officials

Roadside Pollinators Grant Program

RPP has allocated a total of $3.8M for activities that benefit pollinators on roadsides and highway rights-of-way.

APWA Reporter Magazine: April 2026

The April 2026 issue of Reporter Magazine showcases safety lessons from Australia & New Zealand, explains variable speed limits, and more

More Training Coming Up in June

Need a closer look? Stop by CALTAP.org for a calendar view of upcoming training and events focused specifically on local agency project success.

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