NYS LTAP Center - Cornell Local Roads Program

Road Chatter

From the New York State LTAP Center - Cornell Local Roads Program

July - 250 Years

Those who won our independence... valued liberty as an end and as a means. They believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.

- Louis D. Brandeis

250 years ago, fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence after ratification by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. They came from all thirteen colonies to meet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The roads they travelled on were not always well maintained, they had to pay ferry operators both cash and alcohol to cross streams and rivers, and lodging was neither convenient nor dependable.

A delegate from New York City would take over a day to get from Manhattan to Independence Hall. Today you can drive that trip in two hours if you avoid rush hour. A delegate from Georgia would be extremely fortunate to make the journey in under two weeks. You can fly from Savannah (the capital of Georgia in colonial times) to Philadelphia in less 4 hours even with the obligatory plane transfer in Atlanta.

We should be impressed and proud of those Founding Fathers for the risks they took to secure our liberty. We should also respect their willingness to travel in what would best be described as harrowing conditions even for those with funds to secure the best travel options.

Happy 250th Birthday America.

View from the Road

- David Orr, PE

Colonial Travel

What Was Travel Like in Colonial America?

Travel speeds and habits of Colonial America

Maps of the Day: Travel Times from NYC in 1800, 1830, 1857 and 1930

Revolutionary Colonial Post Roads: How 1776 Routes Became Our Modern Highways

Stay up to date with the NYS LTAP Center - Cornell Local Roads Program.

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The heat isn't taking a day off, so neither should your heat safety plan. If you're working outdoors over the next few days, remember to drink plenty of water, take breaks in the shade when possible, and keep an eye on yourself and your coworkers for signs of heat-related illness. Before heading out, consider using one of our Heat Stress, or UV Safety Tailgate Talks to start a quick conversation with your crew. A few minutes of safety training can make a big difference on a hot day.

NYSLTAP-CLRP Summer Webinar Series

These webinar runs from 9:00 am - 10:00 am

*Anticipated to be worth 1 Engineering PDH credit.

July 7 - Managing the Fleet
July 14 - Finding, Retaining, & Motivating Employees
July 21 - Emergency Preparedness
July 28 - Communication Tools
August 4 - Flagging*
August 11 - Ethics*
August 18 - Snow & Ice Strategy*

Please note: to participate in Q&A, you must use client version 5.17.0

or newer, or join via web browser.

For more information, please click here.

Fall Workshops

Registration is open!

Solutions For Safer Roads

Sept. 23 - Livingston County

Sept. 24 - Broome County

Oct. 14 - Putnam County

Oct. 15 - Saratoga County*

Snow & Ice Control

Sept. 22 - Washington County

Sept 24 - Lewis County

Oct. 6 - Tompkins County

Oct. 7 - Genesee County

*Workshop Sponsorship

The New York State LTAP Center – Cornell Local Roads Program thanks those groups who contribute to making our workshops successful by providing sponsorships.

Workshop sponsors generously contribute a flat fee of $1,800/workshop, which enables participants from all municipalities to attend the workshop at either a reduced rate or free of charge. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for one or more of our workshops, please reach out to Amanda Caughey at ael234@cornell.edu / 607-255-5833. We look forward to working with you!

Thank you to our fall sponsors!

Saratoga County Town Highway Superintendents Association

2026 Build A Better Mousetrap Winners

All of our 2026 Build a Better Mousetrap entries have been entered into the National Build a Better Mousetrap Competition! Winners will be announced at the end of July!

First Place

Village of Warwick Department of Public Works

The FinBar

Problem: Trouble removing some styles of manhole covers

Solution: Created the “FinBar” that uses the lids own weight and pressure squeezes the lid

Second Place

Town of Callicoon Highway Department

Tire Shoulder Spreader

Problem: When placing backup materials along the roadway shoulders, the process required two crew members to rake & shovel the materials

Solution: By adding half a tire to the existing set up, the tire drag helped smooth and distribute the materials

Third Place

Town of Victor Highway Department

Portable Water System

Problem: Had a truck that had a 300-gallon tank permanently mounted to it. Rendering it the “water truck”

Solution: Developed a portable, self-contained water system to quickly be installed

The People's Choice Award Winner!

Rockland County Highway Department's

Asphalt Hand Rollers

Problem: They kept spending $800 on asphalt hand rollers, and they weren’t holding up

Solution: Created a simple in-house solution by repurposing materials they already had on hand

If you have an innovation you would like to share,

the 2027 Build a Better Mousetrap Competition is now open!

Upcoming Events and Conferences

Webinars by others:

7.7.2026 (Needham Risk Management Resource Group) - Virtual Lone Worker Safety Workshop from 9:30am-11:00am
7.17.2026 (NJLTAP) - Street Trees and Infrastructure from 10:00am - 11:30am*
8.18.2026 (NJLTAP) - AI for Transportation Professionals from 10:00am - 11:30am*
9.29.2026 - (NJLTAP) - Engineering Ethics from 9:00am–12:00pm*

* Professional Development Hours from NJLTAP are only valid for New Jersey

NYSCHSA Summer Conference

August 31 - September 2

Corning, NY

Save the Date!

NYSAOTSOH 97th Annual Conference

September 29 – October 2, 2026

Saratoga Springs, NY

New York Association of Towns’

Legislative Conference

September 22 - 23

Albany, NY

This program will include training sessions, collaborative workshops, and task groups designed to identify emerging issues, foster peer-to-peer discussion, and develop potential legislative solutions. Attendees will also vote on legislative updates that will help guide our advocacy efforts.

NYS LTAP Center - CLRP Resources

The Nuggets & Nibbles Newsletter

Opt In for a Hard Copy

Do you know that you now have to opt in to get a hard copy of our quarterly newsletter,

Nuggets & Nibbles?

If you would like to receive a hard copy in the mail, please complete the online form.

If you have already filled out the form,

you do not need to fill it out again.

On the road and have a question?

Check out our new question submission section! Send us a picture or drop us a note! Let us know what we can do to help you.

We are one click away!

Quick and Easy Social Media Posts

If you are looking for seasonally relevant topics to post, check out our carefully curated posts related to spring!

Flagger Tutorial

Looking for something to help your crew freshen up for flagging? Check out the revamped NYSLTAP-CLRP flagging tutorial. Broken down into 4 lessons; the MUTCD, Work Zone Safety Responsibility, the Work Zone and Flagging, Equipment and Procedures.

Check out the tutorial.

Community Corner Infographics

These infographics were created to help highway and DPW crews communicate effectively with the community on items of concern.

Click here to view our Community Corner Series.

Instructors needed!

The New York State LTAP Center - Cornell Local Roads Program is looking for seasonal or part-time instructors.

Do you have a passion for public works

or highway management, and want to pass on your knowledge and experience to others? Contact us!

Visit our website for more information!

Basic Math for Roadway Workers 3-Part Series

This is a recorded webinar and not eligible for engineering PDHs in New York State.

With math basics followed by lessons in calculating length, area, volume, and quantities, this interactive course presents how to estimate highway maintenance work in real world situations using the math you already know! Utilizing a step-by-step approach, complex situations encountered by highway and street departments will be broken down into simple pieces.

Asphalt Paving Handbook

The purpose of this Asphalt Paving Handbook is to provide comprehensive technical information and best practices related to the paving of asphalt mixtures for both roadway and airfield projects. The goal is to keep the discussion focused on practical aspects that have the greatest effect on the quality and long-term performance of the finished pavement.

6-Part Summer Webinar Series: Steel Bridges

These are recorded webinars and are not eligible for engineering PDHs in New York State.

Whether you are involved in bridge design, construction, maintenance, or decision-making, this series will provide valuable insights into modern steel bridge practices and emerging industry trends.

New York State LTAP Center -

Cornell Local Roads Program nysltap.clrp.cornell.edu