- T2 Workshops: Rules of the Road
- Leaders to Watch: Clay Major, Town of South Windsor
- Safety Matters: Pedestrian Safety and Daylight Savings Time
- Innovation Station: EDC-7 Baseline Report Sets Goals for Seven Innovations
- UConn Senior Design: Washington Street Reconstruction Project
- AASHTO's New "Transportation Operations Manual" (Video)
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T2 Workshops: Rules of the Road |
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It has been a very productive year so far with many workshops and events being held across our programs. The staff here at T2 have been very pleased to see so many classes full and we have worked hard to make sure we do everything in our power to get important training opportunities out to those who need them.
As we kick off the Fall training season and look toward 2024, we have a few items for you all to review and consider as you participate in our sessions.
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Please let us know if you can’t attend a class. We have a very generous cancellation policy. While we ask that you let us know at least 48 hours in advance, we understand that emergencies arise and last-minute cancellations may need to happen. All we ask is that you contact us to let us know as soon as you know you won’t be in attendance. We have waitlists for most of our classes and, with a bit of notice, we can usually fill the seat that you are not able to use. Better yet, send someone in your place so they can benefit from the learning experience.
No-shows are expensive. Whether the class you signed up for carries a registration fee or is at no cost to you, all of our sessions have a cost to us. In many cases, the “free to you” sessions are being held because we have secured special grant funds to pay for the registration fees associated with the class. If you don’t inform us, we are not able to fill the space with someone from the waitlist, and we still have to pay that fee, wasting that opportunity and money.
Be present. We hope you choose to make the most of your time with us. Do a few things in advance of the session to make sure you can take the time for your own development and focus on the class.
- Let your team and upper management know that you will be in training and will check in during breaks.
- Put someone else in charge for the day – at least for a first-level response.
- Place an out-of-office message on your voicemail and email.
Be prepared for the class. Complete any assigned pre-work so that you can fully take advantage of the material presented in the session. We know your time is valuable and that it can be difficult to get away for an entire day or more. In many cases, we will send materials out for folks to review prior to the class so we can maximize our time with you in the classroom and keep the class to a single day.
Thank you for all your understanding and support. We look forward to connecting with many of you at a workshop this Fall!
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Clay Major, Town of South Windsor
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On August 28, 2023, in San Diego California, the American Public Works Association presented the Town of South Windsor's Director of Facilities Clayton (Clay) Major with their Professional Manager of the Year Award in Facilities and Grounds. The purpose of this award is to recognize the outstanding achievements in the area of facilities and/or grounds management within the public works field and to inspire excellence, leadership, and dedication to the public good. This recognition is on a national level in consideration of nearly 20,000 communities throughout the United States.
Clay's experiences encompass not only local government administration, but the private sector as well with a career in facilities management that has spanned over three decades. During this time Clay developed a unique perspective and insight into the building maintenance and management industry. This familiarity and level of expertise allowed him to make indelible impacts on the public works community.
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An exemplification of these impacts on the building maintenance community is Clay’s initiative creating a statewide Facility ListServ exchange program where local leaders in the industry can collaborate on a variety of issues and share solutions. Another template of success that he created was hosting industry roundtables where many timely issues are discussed in a collaborative arena, resulting in solutions that may not have been found without the creative space of a roundtable discussion.
Some local impacts resulting from Clay's work include leveraging technology to create a safer, simpler workplace for employees and residents alike. This has included installing card readers in all of the Town buildings to create a ‘keyless’ door system leveraging relationships with local utility suppliers and partnering in unique ways to keep the cost of energy consumption down. Most recently, with the lighting upgrades and HVAC improvements underway, he is not only saving local taxpayers money but also improving the environment as a whole for all employees and residents.
In addition to these initiatives, Clay has also been an integral piece in an array of programs; be it physically transferring whole departments of the Town between buildings, responding to the COVID-19 emergency with physical elements town wide to keep residents and employees safe, or providing support during seasonal emergency storm responses.
This recognition from APWA is a testament to Clay's professionalism and commitment to excellence and progress in the public works building maintenance industry. Not only the consummate professional, but Clay is also a well-respected team member and a friend to many.
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Pedestrian Safety and Daylight Savings Time |
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October is just around the corner and it’s time for National Pedestrian Safety Month. Creating a safe environment for pedestrians and all vulnerable road users is one of the core pillars of the Safe System Approach. Whether you are walking to school, walking to work, walking your dog, or just walking to your vehicle in the parking lot, pedestrian safety should always be on your mind. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are going, pedestrian safety is important for everyone as we make our way toward our goal of zero fatalities.
With the end of daylight savings time approaching on November 5th, it’s important to realize the changes that occur during this time and what that means for pedestrian safety. Data from the Connecticut Crash Data Repository (CTCDR) shows that pedestrian fatalities disproportionately occur during the days following the end of daylight savings time. For Connecticut, in 2022, 26% of pedestrian fatalities occurred from November 6th to December 31st. There are many factors which account for these numbers, but motorists and pedestrians need to remain vigilant and work together to address this issue.
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What can pedestrians and motorists do to make Connecticut roads safer for everyone? All roadway users can follow the advice of the folks at Bike Walk Connecticut to make this time of year, and all times throughout the year, safer.
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Pedestrians need to be aware by watching for cars that are turning or backing up, and never assume that a driver sees you or will slow down at an intersection.
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Pedestrians should wear bright and/or reflectorized clothing during low light conditions. Dark clothing makes it very difficult for drivers to see pedestrians and it puts them at a much greater risk of being struck. Along with reflectorized clothing, Watch For Me CT suggests that pedestrians wear or carry a light to make yourself more visible.
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Motorists can also take steps to mitigate the loss of visibility during this time by always turning on your headlights and by making sure to slow down and obey all posted speed limits. NHTSA shows that as the speed of a vehicle that collides with a pedestrian goes up, the chance of a fatality greatly increases.
It doesn’t matter if you are out walking and enjoying the fall foliage or driving to the local fair, everyone must do their part to bring the number of pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries to zero. For more information on pedestrian safety and what you can do to bring us closer to zero, please visit https://watchformect.org and www.bikewalkct.org.
Resources:
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EDC-7 Baseline Report Sets Goals for Seven Innovations |
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Read the recently released Summit Summary and Baseline Report to learn about the Every Day Counts innovations that FHWA is promoting in the program’s seventh round (EDC-7). The report includes the deployment status of the innovations at the beginning of 2023 and the goals transportation stakeholders set to broaden their adoption by the end of 2024. The report also features highlights from the EDC-7 Virtual Summit held in February 2023, including reflections from transportation leaders that were given during the summit’s opening sessions on the three focus areas of EDC-7: improving safety for all users, building sustainable infrastructure, and growing an inclusive workforce.
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UConn Senior Design: Washington Street Reconstruction Project by Sam Paglia
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Upon graduating from UConn’s Civil Engineering Program in May 2022, I worked with my peers (Sarah Powlishen, Connor Parrish, and Adel Hamedi) on the Washington Street Reconstruction Senior Design Project. The scope of this project was presented by the Town of Stonington, with help from Jacobs as the consultant, who asked us to develop a design for Washington Street in Mystic, CT. The drive to redesign this roadway stemmed from problems seen during the summer months due to the large tourism factor in Mystic that increases traffic volumes putting a strain on the existing network and limits on-street parking. Washington Street also acted as a through-way when the nearby drawbridge went up, further increasing traffic congestion. Drainage issues were also present along the roadway as the geometry had been compromised, with water pooling up in areas with exposed sup-course, cracking, and potholes, not reaching the catch basin on the street. The narrowness of the roadway also did not support two-way traffic flow and made it unsafe for pedestrians and bicyclists utilizing the road. |
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With all of these factors considered, our team proposed a design to widen the roadway using the existing right of way, that was not previously taken advantage of, along with resurfacing the road, allowing us to adjust the grade so runoff would drain properly into the existing catch basin and adjacent marsh. The wider road will accommodate two-way traffic while maintaining all present on-street parking. A sidewalk will also be constructed along the northern side of the roadway for pedestrian and bicyclist use, with the on-street parking acting as a buffer to provide enhanced safety.
Post-graduation in June 2022, I began working at Jacobs as a design engineer in the highways group out of their Boston office, where I currently reside. I had the opportunity to join members of our traffic safety team to work on Connecticut’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), where we assist the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) with ensuring the strategies outlined in the SHSP get implemented to help Connecticut reach its goal of zero roadway deaths on all public roads.
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AASHTO's New "Transportation Operations Manual" (Video) |
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The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials released a video showcasing the first edition of its “Transportation Operations Manual” – a new guidebook for transportation systems management and operations or TSMO efforts approved for publication by the AASHTO board of directors in October 2022.
The new manual serves as a resource for transportation agencies to develop and sustain the operational capabilities and strategies needed to preserve and optimize transportation system performance.
It touches on all levels of TSMO efforts – strategic, programmatic, and tactical – and expands current TSMO practice through a more cohesive approach that helps agencies and their partners gain familiarity with generally accepted operational improvements, as well as develop appropriate future applications.
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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! |
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If you have any ideas or suggestions for future Connecticut Crossroads topics, please feel free to email the designer Regina Hackett at [email protected]
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