April 2020
 COVID-19 Era Resources
Issue 71
Special Edition 
Workshop Calendar

Click here to view training opportunities available. We will continue to update the schedule with dates and locations, so check in with us regularly. If you are interested in hosting a class, please email Shelly Desjardin at [email protected] . 
Our mission is to foster a safe, efficient, environmentally sound transportation system by improving skills and knowledge of local transportation providers through training, technical assistance, and technology transfer.
In This Issue:
  • Innovation Station: Online Learning Opportunities and Resources for Public Works
  • Safety Matters: NEW Safety Brief: CT Public Works/Highway Departments & COVID-19
  • Signal Spotlight: Engaging the Public in the COVID-19 Era
  • Warren's Words of Wisdom: Spend A Little Time Looking Around the Shop
  • Town Crier: South Windsor's Social Media Plea Asking Residents to Stop Flushing Wipes Goes Statewide
  • Staying Connected & Working Remotely
  • Watch for Me CT's Trail Use During COVID-19 Tips
  • University of Connecticut's COVID-19 Dashboard - Cases Town by Town
  • Bagpiper Serenades His Neighborhood Every Evening
Online Learning Opportunities and Resources for Public Works
We are all navigating a new environment and doing our best to remain productive while being limited in where we can go and what we can do. Public works departments are adjusting their operations to split shifts and asking staff to work virtually. One option for those staff that are staying at home is to use the time to brush up on their operational safety and technical knowledge. Below are several options for worthwhile learning opportunities. These resources can be accessed at the user’s convenience and carry no cost. 
NEW Safety Brief: CT Public Works/Highway Departments & COVID-19
As we all deal with the disruptions and changes to our daily lives that the COVID-19 virus has created, public works and highway departments are working to figure out how to adjust activities as first responders, while keeping employees and citizens safe. Governor Lamont, through an executive order, directed non-essential businesses and non-profits to telecommute to the maximum extent possible. Critical infrastructure work is listed as essential, but what does that mean for your agency? This issue of Safety Matters hopes to provide some guidance on what is essential and how to keep those employees who cannot work from home as safe as possible.
If you have any questions about local road safety concerns, you can contact:
Melissa Evans, Safety Circuit Rider at (860) 486-5847 or [email protected].
Signal Spotlight: Engaging the Public in the COVID-19 Era
Many towns in Connecticut have moved to offering virtual town halls as a solution for regularly scheduled meetings during COVID-19.

  • East Hartford broadcasts its socially-distanced meetings on the local public access television channel. Residents can listen in real-time and call in via telephone.

  • Hebron and Mansfield are using townhallstreams.com to stream and archive their public meetings.
To continue reading this article, click here .

If you have traffic signal systems questions, please contact:
Theresa Schwartz, P.E., P.T.O.E. - Traffic Signal Circuit Rider
(860) 486-4535 or [email protected] .
Spend A Little Time Looking Around the Shop
by Warren Rogers, C.S.P.
I’ll go out on a limb and guess you may be having to be creative about how you get your work done during this current situation and you may have some time to spend looking around the garage/shop. When things are busy, unsafe conditions can inadvertently be allowed to build up and become part of the normal. You probably have a few things that you’ve been telling yourself, like “We’ll get to that one day” or “Should really have that fixed.”

When was the last time anyone did a full safety inspection of the garage and shop? Be honest now, has it been over a year, or since your mother-in-law said she liked you? I’ll bet you a dozen glazed Krispy Kreme’s (the world’s BEST doughnuts) that it’s been too long since you really did a detailed
comprehensive safety inspection. Well, now’s as good a time as any, and to help you do a thorough job, I am providing a link to a checklist UConn created that’s pretty good and free. Your garage may have extras that aren’t covered by the checklist, but you’ll be able to identify those unique to your situations and handle them.

  • Does everyone know how to use the eye wash station?
  • Is your eye wash station covered in dust and dirt?
  • Does it have fresh water, or are there small fish in the tank?
  • How long do you flush?

To continue this article, click here .
South Windsor's Social Media Plea Asking Residents to Stop Flushing Wipes Goes Statewide
On March 17th, the Town of South Windsor Public Works Department put out a plea to their residents on their social media account, to STOP FLUSHING WIPES! See the post below.
Well, that post got a lot of attention. The post reached over 3.2 MILLION people and was shared almost 60,000 times! Many of the comments were from across the United States, Canada and Australia!
Town of South Windsor staff were interviewed by many news outlets; Journal Inquirer, Hartford Courant , WFSB News and Fox61 . Great job South Windsor PWD getting the word out and educating our Connecticut residents and across the globe!

If you're interested in starting your own campaign in your town, the City of Casper, WY has some campaign materials, posters and information for "No Wipes in the Pipes." You can get the materials, here .
Staying Connected & Working Remotely
Tech Tip Published by Cornell Local Roads Program - NY LTAP Center
The current COVID-19 health crisis has required all of us to modify or even suspend many of the normal ways we work, interact, and spend time with other people. The work of local highway and public works departments is deemed essential,however many local agencies are still choosing to modify their operations in order to limit the spread of the virus. It is also possible that local government employees may be exposed to the virus and, as a result, be quarantined for extended periods of time.

The “new normal” of social distancing and government mandates requiring many employees to work from home may require departments to utilize different ways of interacting with others in order to get the job done. There are many challenges to instituting remote or work from home operations. From choosing the right technology to managing teams effectively when you are not in their presence, this Tech Tip will help you learn how to make working remotely manageable for your department.
Watch for Me CT's Trail Use During COVID-19 Tips
During this time of social distancing due to COVID-19, many folks are taking to our beautiful trails for exercise and a way to get out of our houses safely. Before you head to the trails, please take note of the tips below so you can continue to protect yourself and others while you enjoy the great outdoors.
University of Connecticut's COVID-19 Dashboard - Cases Town by Town
The University of Connecticut's Department of Geography faculty and students have developed a dashboard for confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Connecticut by town.

You can view the website, here .

The team is working on more mappings with testing locations and accessibility.
Bagpiper Serenades His Neighborhood Every Evening
Just to make you smile, we wanted to share this heartwarming story of a Connecticut resident who, during this trying time and to the delight of his neighbors, has been serenading his neighborhood with his bagpipes every evening. You can read the article here .
Follow Us!
Along with our Facebook page, the T2 Center now has an Instagram page! Click on the icons below to like the T2 Center on Facebook and follow the T2 Center on Instagram!
Visit T2Center.uconn.edu for more information and resources.
If you have any ideas or suggestions for future Connecticut Crossroads topics, please feel free to email the designer Regina Hackett at [email protected]