December 2022
Issue 103
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 the T2 Center 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:
  • Congratulations, Graduates!
  • Innovation Station: 2022 CT Creative Solutions Award Winner - Town of Ellington's Electronic Daily Work Order Display
  • Safety Matters: Nighttime Visibility and Pedestrian/Bicyclist Safety
  • Understanding the Salt Phase Diagram
  • 'Twas The Night Before The Big Snow Storm
  • T2 Center Holiday Card
  • NE APWA Chapter Connects: Taking Flight with Drones - Insights on Starting a Municipal Drone Program (Video)
Congratulations, Graduates!
On November 17, 2022, the Training & Technical Assistance (T2) Center staff, guests, and Connecticut's top transportation leaders honored 103 professionals who completed one or more of nine different certificate programs in 2022.
Programs Completed:
  • Public Works Academy
  • Road Master Program
  • Road Scholar Program
  • Local Traffic Authority Program
  • Transportation Leadership Program
  • Safety Academy
  • Traffic Signal Academy
  • Traffic Signal Technician Certificate Program - Level I
  • Traffic Signal Technician Certificate Program - Level II

The T2 Center's website has been updated with graduates' names, programs, and pictures.

To read more about the ceremony, click here.
2022 Creative Solutions Award Winner - Town of Ellington's Electronic Daily Work Order Display
This year, we recognized three towns for their initiative and innovative thinking to increase safety, reduce costs, improve efficiencies, and improve the quality of transportation in their communities. This month, we will be showcasing the Town of Ellington's Electronic Daily Work Order Display, which was named one of the 2022 Creative Solutions winners.
 
Why Was It Necessary? Prior practice had been to write the work orders down and verbally distribute. Towards the end of that era we even added color delineation for grouping people/tasks. This method is antiquated and didn't allow for easy, shareable access. Also, having this already in place prior to Covid allowed for minimal transition to social separation.
How Does It Work? Utilizing Google as a platform, a work order spreadsheet is created by the Superintendent of Operations. The document is then shared with the Director, Assistant Foreman, and a general Gmail account utilized for an overhead projector display. The created/displayed document is living and allows instant modification from those with permission.
 
How Does It Perform? It has been fantastic! After the orders are received, the document is emailed to necessary parties for storage on the Town server for future reference. The crew come in, read the screen, and head out to the garage to start their day. Messages can be easily conveyed such as reminders, announcements, and favorite quotes of the day.
Benefit to Your Operation: Easy communication of the day's workload. It is easily modified, shared, and stored. We can track and share which employees are out for the day. Everyone gets the same message and is transparent with task assignments.

Cost Estimate: $0

Next month we will be highlighting the Town of Simsbury's Creative Solutions Award winning Protocols for Continuation of Essential Services During Pandemic.
Nighttime Visibility and Pedestrian/Bicyclist Safety
As winter settles in and days get shorter, nighttime visibility becomes even more important than usual. Of course, it is important for pedestrians and cyclists to be visible year-round during dark conditions, but winter creates an additional challenge of less daylight hours and storms that can impact visibility any time of day. Unfortunately, the number of fatal pedestrian crashes in Connecticut has been on the rise, with 2022 shaping up to be the deadliest year in decades – a trend mirrored in national statistics as well. By the end of November, there were 59 pedestrian fatalities in our state; just two away from the record set in 2020. Eleven pedestrian fatalities occurred in the month of November alone. Additionally, there were two bicyclist fatalities.
Nighttime visibility has become such an important safety issue that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently included it in their Every Day Counts Round 7 (EDC-7) Innovations. The following excerpt is from the FHWA press release on the EDC Round 7 Innovations:

Nighttime Visibility for Safety: The nighttime crash fatality rate is three times the daytime rate. Enhancing visibility along corridors, intersections, and pedestrian crossings can help reduce fatalities. This initiative promotes traffic control devices and properly designed lighting to improve safety for all users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and people who use public transportation and passenger rail services.

To continue this article, click here.

For more information on the Safety Circuit Rider Program and assistance with local road safety, contact Melissa at [email protected].
Understanding the Salt Phase Diagram
Now that the winter season is upon us, the CT Green Snow Pro team wanted to pass along a great resource developed by Clear Roads that explains the Salt Phase Diagram including understanding salt brine concentration and the impact of brine concentration on anti-icing operations. You can view and download the fact sheet here and watch the corresponding video here. In the CT Green Snow Pro classes, our instructors utilize this Salt Phase Diagram resource.

The CT Green Snow Pro classes provide training to support best practices for salt application and sustainable winter operations. The T2 Center offers two classes: the CT Green Snow Pro for Municipal Applicators, with a focus on roads, and the CT Green Snow Pro for Private Commercial Applicators, with a focus on parking lots and sidewalks. This Fall we have held five CT Green Snow Pro classes, four in-person and one virtual, and we will be offering more classes in the Spring! Attendees that successfully complete the class will receive a CT Green Snow Pro decal to display on their work vehicle. 
If you are interested in attending a future CT Green Snow Pro class, please email Shannon O’Loughlin.
NE APWA Chapter Connects: Taking Flight with Drones - Insights on Starting a Municipal Drone Program (Video)
Have you been thinking of how you might utilize drones to help with your department's operations? The panelists have provided information and insights that will help you set up a successful program. Learn from their experience and see how a drone program may help improve your department's efficiency and expand its scope of services.
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]