2024 Florida Build A Better Mousetrap Competition - Now Accepting Applications!

Application Deadline: May 17, 2024

Showcase your innovative solutions to transportation problems by entering the Florida Build A Better Mousetrap (BABM) competition. Winners in the Florida competition are selected based on cost and savings, benefits to the community and the environment, transferability, ingenuity, and effectiveness.

To enter, complete a web form with contact details, a write-up, and a photo or video. From these entries, the Florida LTAP will select winners from each of the following four categories: Innovative Project, SMART Transformation, Bold Steps, and Pioneer. The winners from the Florida competition will be announced in the Florida LTAP summer newsletter and on social media, along with other recognition.

Take advantage of this opportunity to gain recognition and prizes and receive state and national exposure for your creative work.

Winning entries from the Florida competition will be submitted to the national competition, which will recognize innovations among other states’ local agencies and tribal submissions to compete for prizes and national recognition at the annual LTAP/TTAP national conference. Florida’s own Seminole County was the national winner of the Smart Transformation Award in 2021. For more information, please download the 2024 Build a Better Mousetrap National Competition Guidelines. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Florida LTAP at FloridaLTAP@usf.edu.

11th Edition MUTCD Now Available

The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways—the MUTCD—defines the standards used by road managers nationwide to install and maintain traffic control devices on all streets, highways, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and site roadways open to public travel. The MUTCD is published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under 23 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 655, Subpart F.

The MUTCD, which has been administered by the FHWA since 1971, is a compilation of national standards for all traffic control devices, including road markings, highway signs, and traffic signals. It is updated periodically to accommodate the nation's changing transportation needs and address new safety technologies, traffic control tools, and traffic management techniques.



On December 19, 2023, a Final Rule adopting the 11th Edition of the MUTCD was published in the Federal Register, effective January 18, 2024. States must adopt the 11th Edition of the National MUTCD as their legal State standard for traffic control devices within two years from the effective date. The Federal Register notice, which provides detailed discussion of the final dispositions of significant changes from the 2009 edition, can be viewed at https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-27178.



FHWA does not print copies of the MUTCD. The PDF version of the 11th Edition of the MUTCD is the most current edition of the official FHWA publication.

Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE) Updates CE Tracking

A Professional Engineer (P.E.) licensed in Florida must start reporting their continuing education hours using the free NCEES CPC Tracking system. As a Florida P.E., you are required to complete 18 hours of continuing education every biennium. You will need to use NCEES CPC Tracking to report your completed courses.

Only Florida laws and rules courses will be reported directly by CE providers. Learn how to set up your NCEES account and upload your CE documentation by going to https://fbpe.org/.

LAP Title VI & ADA Sub-Recipient Compliance Assessment Tool (SCAT) Training (In-Person)

We had the pleasure of visiting FDOT District 4 and District 6 on February 15th and 16th to assist in delivering the LAP Title VI and ADA Sub-Recipient Compliance Assessment Tool (SCAT) Training in West Palm Beach and Miami. It was a fantastic opportunity to help participants understand the Title VI Program's requirements for sub-recipients of Federal-Aid Highway Program funds. The training went into great detail about program requirements, local agency compliance with Title VI and nondiscrimination laws, and the FDOT's SCAT and ADA regulations and requirements. The training also demonstrated how the Department's current design standards, FDM and Greenbook, meet or exceed the ADA's standards. We were thrilled to meet with various local agencies and collaborate with FHWA and FDOT to assist our Florida transportation community. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and we are excited to continue promoting compliance and accessibility within the transportation industry.

FDOT administers several grant funding programs for subrecipients, more commonly known as “local agencies.” Local agencies have jurisdiction over a transportation facility and include, but are not limited to, a municipality, county, expressway, or transportation authority, special district, or regional governmental unit. The Florida LTAP Local Programs page has information on recorded and upcoming trainings.

From understanding crash trends to implementing effective safety measures, this session will arm attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to effect positive change. Join us for this important discussion on how we can all work together to make our highways safer and work together towards Florida’s target of zero fatalities and serious injuries.

BY ATTENDING THIS TRAINING, ATTENDEES WILL

■ Gain insight into work zone crash trends through the presentation of relevant data, enabling attendees to understand the scope and nature of work zone crashes.

■ Explore both successes and challenges in enhancing safety within work zones, providing attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing work zone safety.

■ Receive actionable strategies to make a tangible difference in improving safety within work zones, fostering a culture of responsibility and proactive engagement among attendees.

This webinar is provided at no cost and will award a certificate of training listing Professional Development Hours (PDHs) or a certificate of completion verifying your attendance.

Topics to be covered in the webinar series include:

■ Session 1 – Introduction and Procedures – In this session we will examine the formal RSA process and procedures as outlined in the FHWA Road Safety Audit Guidelines. This should give the attendees a good understanding of an RSA and how to do it properly.

■ Session 2 – Common Issues and Challenges – This session will look at some of the issues and challenges when proposing or doing RSAs. It will focus on the things that often stand in the way of getting the right results out of an RSA or hinder the RSA process.

■ Session 3 – Examples and Case Study – In this highly interactive session we will examine different examples of things that might be found in an RSA. We will also look at a case study of an RSA that was performed on a section of highway prior to a project and how the RSA findings impacted that project.

This webinar series is provided at no cost and will award a certificate of training listing Professional Development Hours (PDHs) or a certificate of completion verifying your attendance.

Southern Transportation Civil Rights Executive Council (STCREC) Training Symposium

April 23 - 25, 2024

The Southern Transportation Civil Rights Executive Council (STCREC) hosts a Training Symposium every two years to offer relevant training, instruction, updates, information and networking opportunities to our colleagues in the civil rights transportation space. 

Experts from relevant areas of civil rights programming include DBE, Title VI, OJT, Alternative Delivery considerations, and the coming changes in affirmative action.

Learn More

FDOT 2024 Transportation Symposium

June 13 - 14, 2024

Make plans today to join Central Office, Districts 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and Turnpike at the 2024 Transportation Symposium. This year, the symposium will be held in Hollywood, FL at the Diplomat Hotel.

Keep staff and industry partners updated with FDOT policies, procedures, and best practices. Visit https://transportationsymposium.fdot.gov/.

FACERS 2024 Annual Meeting

June 26 -27, 2024

The Florida Association of County Engineers and Road Superintendents, commonly known as FACERS, will be holding its annual conference in association with the Florida Association of Counties annual conference on June 26th and 27th, 2024. This year’s conference will be at the Hilton Bonnet Creek in Orlando.

They will have an outstanding lineup of engineering and roadway maintenance topics geared toward the common elements of public infrastructure that most jurisdictions deal with daily. The ability to share ideas, concerns, and solutions is invaluable in today’s rapidly changing public works world, especially in Florida. The conference is not limited to county representatives; it is also great for city or private agencies involved in similar public support roles.

As part of the lineup this year, attendees will also have the ability to get area of practice continuing education credits and a presentation that will allow renewing Florida Professional Engineers to collect the ethics and the laws and rules requirements.

The space is filling up fast. Register now to attend! Go to https://facers.net/ and follow the links for Events/Annual Meetings/2024 FACERS Annual Meeting to sign up, and while you are at it, use the membership link to sign up as a member to receive the discounted registration rates!

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Safe Streets and Roads For All (SS4A) Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity

Deadline: Multiple (see below)

The USDOT’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity is now open for applications. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent deaths and serious injuries on our nation’s roadways. Funds for the fiscal year 2024 SS4A grant program are to be awarded on a competitive basis to support planning, infrastructural, behavioral, and operational initiatives to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets involving all roadway users, including pedestrians; bicyclists; public transportation, personal conveyance, and micromobility users; motorists; and commercial vehicle operators. The SS4A program supports the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy and our goal of zero roadway deaths using a Safe System Approach.

■ May 16, 2024 - Sole deadline for Implementation Grants.

■ May 16, 2024 - Planning and Demonstration Grants.

■ August 29, 2024 - Planning and Demonstration Grants. NOFO closes.

Learn More

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Grant Program Prioritizes Projects Addressing Pedestrian Trespasser Casualties

Deadline: May 28, 2024

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released the fiscal year (FY) 2023-2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program. The CRISI grant program provides funding for projects that improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail, with close to $2.5 billion available for award under the FY 2023-2024 NOFO.

The NOFO notes eligible projects located in the top 25 counties with the most pedestrian trespasser casualties will be given preference, as defined in the FRA National Strategy to Prevent Trespassing on Railroad Property, among other factors. Applications for the FY 2023-2024 CRISI program are due May 28, 2024.

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FHWA Announces $44.5 Million in Funding for Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Grant Program

Deadline: June 17, 2024

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) opened applications for the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP), releasing the fiscal year (FY) 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). ATIIP is a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant program that focuses on building networks of connected bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements, including better connected trail networks between communities. The program directly supports the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization and the U.S. Department of Transportation's goal of zero transportation sector emissions by 2050. The FY 2023 NOFO deadline is June 17, 2024.

Learn More

For additional funding opportunities, visit the Florida LTAP Funding News page.