NYS LTAP Center - Cornell Local Roads Program

Road Chatter

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

August- Vacation

The idea of a perfect vacation is not working or not having to work and having no appointments. - Tom Welling

I hate vacations. There's nothing to do. - David Mamet

I ended July by taking six days off to see some friends from high school and one of my brothers. Some people hate vacations cause there is “nothing to do,” and others want them to be full of things to do and places to go. My best vacations fall in the middle. There are things to do, but nothing that is too restrictive. I can do things I enjoy without feeling like they must be done.

While this vacation could have been longer, it met most of the rules; visiting a couple of cool places, seeing some old friends, and checking out from work. Maybe that is the key, finding a way to let the stress of work go for a week or two.

As we start August, I need to get back into work mode but remember what is important each day: family, friends, and community. Hope you can take some time to recharge, and when you take a vacation, you can find something to do, even if that something is doing nothing.

- David Orr, PE

Figure 1. Below Frozen Niagara, Mammoth Cave, July 2026

Figure 2. Troll Little Elina in the Bernheim Forest, July 2026

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

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NYSLTAP-CLRP Summer Webinar Series

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

*Anticipated to be worth 1 Engineering PDH credit.

August 4 - Flagging*
August 11 - Ethics*
August 18 - Snow & Ice Strategy*

Please note: to participate in Q&A, you must use Zoom client version 5.17.0 or newer, or join via web browser. For more information, please click here.

NYSLTAP Webinar Credit Policy

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
Genesee County Town Highway Association

The 32nd Statewide Conference on Local Bridges training and conference registration is now open!

Register online or download the PDF registration form

Training Session - October 20, 2026
Draft Agenda - Engineering the Federal Aid Process (anticipated to be worth 3 PDHs)
Draft Agenda - Subsurface to Slabs: Geotechnical Process, PEM, and Bridge Deck Construction (anticipated to be worth 4 PDHs)

Note the trainings are still a work in progress, and the

times of the listed presentations have not been finalized and may change.

Conference - October 21 - 22, 2026 (anticipated to be worth 7.5 PDHs)
Draft Conference Agenda (Note this is still a work in progress and that the day and time of the listed presentations have not been finalized and can change)

Details and the full schedule are available on the NYSLTAP-CLRP website

Please note: The registration fee increases to $170 on October 3.

2026 National Build A Better Mousetrap Winner!

Congratulations to the Town of Riverhead Highway Department for winning the Pioneer Award at the National Build a Better Mousetrap Competition!

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:

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

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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