Road Chatter

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

March 2025

View from the Road

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. - Thomas A. Edison

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. - Milton Berle

Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/search_results?x=0&y=0&q=opportunity

With the change in the weather from winter to spring we get pothole season. Rather than looking upon this as a negative, look for an opportunity to see where the problems are and fix them for the long term. You could develop an asset management plan to deal with these issues. You might look at changing your standard for building your roads. You might be able to develop something new that could help solve an issue in a new way.

To have success, you need to make sure you and your crew are well trained. Here are five opportunities to learn and teach others.

We have been doing build a better mousetrap competition for many years. You can go to our website and see the previous ideas.  Look for a simple idea you can use. If you have developed a new idea, please share it with us for the 2025 competition.

Our foundational webinars are ending for the winter season but will be back this summer. These one-hour sessions cover everything you do. If you have not seen one before, or have not seen it in a while, it is an effective way to get a sense of what you know and what you do not know about a particular topic. You can then look for opportunities to get more in-depth information.

Our spring workshop series is about to start. Actually, it has already started with the work zone training covered by a grant from the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee. Sign up for a class, send your staff to a topic they have not seen before. We know you will find at least one thing you can use and take home. If you do that, we've both had a great day.

Your agency might want to develop an asset management plan. We have a summer intern program that matches college students to collaborate with you to develop such. There is plenty of space, but you need to sign up as soon as possible. Over 100 agencies across the state have developed management plans using the summer intern program. Many have come back multiple times because they see the value in having a plan to solve the problems rather than just being reactive to issues.

And if you cannot go to one of our events (or come to the Highway School) there is online training available. Each year we get a new code from the AASHTO Technical Training Solutions that provides free training for anyone who works for a public entity.

The code is listed below for 2025. If you come across a class that is not available, please let us know.

2025 AASHTO TTS Code: CD54-8E3A-7FXX-47B8

https://transportation.org/technical-training-solutions/.

Look for opportunities to learn and share. We will see you on the road.

 - David Orr, PE