ROAD CHATTER • OCT. 2026

Before Winter Rolls In...

Catch up on upcoming conferences, workshops, webinars, and opportunities for local highway departments.

Bear Mountain Bridge in New York’s Hudson Valley. Photo by David Orr, PE.

View from the Road

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." - Albert Camus

"Autumn is my favorite season." - Johnny Kelly

My favorite season is fall (or autumn if you prefer). Why? I like the crispness in the air, and the colors on the leaves. Maybe it is that I like change. If you told me it could be fall all year round, that would not be as exciting. I also like the first snowfall of winter, the quiet sound of snow falling on a mid-winter's evening. The sounds of birds and the visual pop of new flowers make spring a joy. The mid-summer buzz of crickets and lightning bugs in the yard are parts of summer that you can hear and see in your mind. 

Yes, there are parts of each season that we all would prefer not to experience: raking leaves, shoveling snow, cleaning up the winter detritus, and those days when it is just too hot and humid are my list. Others enjoy all those activities and events. Each season brings something new and the start of fall is just part of that change. 

We hope to see each of you at one of our events over the next year. It could be at a fall conference, online as part of a webinar, a spring workshop, the Highway School to start next summer, or a field visit where we come out to look at a problem you have on your roads and streets. There are lots of opportunities to learn something new or share something you know. This month’s Road Chatter has many opportunities to help you help your community.

 - David Orr, PE

Need work zone equipment? The Work Zone Workshop & Equipment Package Program helps New York highway and public works departments get the equipment and training they need to set up safer work zones.

This year, we will be providing 5 free Work Zone Traffic Control Workshops (dates, locations, and workshop details TBD), as well as 30 work zone equipment packages valued at about $2,000 each, thanks to support from the Federal Highway Administration and Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. Packages included cones, roll-up signs and stands, stop/slow paddles, safety vests, hard hats, and work zone reference guides.

For departments selected to receive a package, workshops are coordinated around the recipients so crews can pair new equipment with hands-on work zone training.

See how the program works →

Our free Foundational Webinar series returns in November! These one-hour sessions focus on the core principles behind local highway agency operations and management, and all webinars count toward Road Master credit based on session length. Starred webinars are anticipated to be worth 1 PDH.