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'In 2002, there were 42,815 fatalities land over 2.9 million injuries on the nation's highways. Crashes on rural roads -- roads in areas with populations less than 5000 -- account for over 60% of the deaths nationwide, or about 70 deaths each day. Further, the rate of fatalities per vehicle mile traveled on rural roads was over twice the urban fatality rate."

Local agencies can access LTAP centers for resources related to rural road safety. One such resource is a study performed for the Minnesota DOT, which found that the installation of street lighting at isolated rural intersections reduced night-time crash frequency by 27% and crash severity by 20%.

This quote, from a General Accounting Office (GAO) report issued in May 2004 (Highway Safety: Federal and State Efforts to Address Rural Road Safety Challenges GAO-04-663), clearly shows the importance of improving safety along rural roads. Public works employees working in these areas of limited population, however, usually have few resources to deal with the problem.

According to a recent GAO report on highway safety, the nation's road system consists of 3.9 million miles. Of this total, rural roads account for about 3 million miles-or about 77%. Local agencies have jurisdiction over 2.1 million miles of all rural roads.

Fortunately, the federal government realizes that local agencies need help to reduce crashes in their jurisdictions. Through the efforts of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), many tools and programs have been developed to provide guidance to local agencies, including the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP).

Funded with federal and state dollars, LTAP centers offer assistance to all local agencies and tribal governments across the nation. An LTAP center has been established in each state and is either administered by a university or state DOT. There is also an LTAP center in Puerto Rico serving 78 municipalities and the Virgin Islands department of public works.

During development of the GAO report, LTAP centers were asked to identify the five most important tools they provide to local agencies for improving safety on their roads and streets. Although the responses varied, all fit into the basic categories of training, publications, technical assistance/advice, equipment, newsletters, software, and technology transfer.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Most LTAPs offer some form of training. In addition to traditional classroom instruction, a few state LTAPs offer online training materials and course books, classes, and links to training provided by public and private partners. A few LTAPs even extend training opportunities to non-governmental personnel.

Lindsay Nathanial, training coordinator of Colorado's LTAP said, "Our focus is on local agencies: cities, counties, and towns. However, we do not limit our classes, mailing list, or library rentals to local agencies; private companies are welcome to use our resources."

In addition to course offerings, the Colorado LTAP Web site has links to several online training opportunities. The most relevant for improving safety along rural roads is the Roadside Design Guide, National Highway Institute course #380032C. According to the site, "This Web-based course is approximately 14 hours long and is available anytime, 24 hours, 365 days a year via the Internet. Emphasis is on current highway agency policies and practices." There is no cost to take the course, but participants are required to purchase a copy of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' Roadside Design Guide.

The state of Washington LTAP offers a wide range of training opportunities for both public and private sector employees involved in highway design, construction, and maintenance. Several classes are related to rural road safety such as bridge inspection, gravel road basics, low-cost safety improvements, and troubleshooting roundabout designs.

The site also lists courses provided by the Washington DOT at no cost for instate local agencies. The Roadside Safety and the Roadway Geometric Design courses could be particularly useful to public works staff responsible for designing rural roads. Registration for these classes, along with others offered by the Washington LTAP, can be done online.

On-the-road training is offered by several LTAPs. Minnesota has established a Circuit Training and Assistance Program, or CTAP. According to their Web site, CTAP uses a fully equipped van to provide onsite technical assistance and training to maintenance personnel throughout Minnesota. Some workshops offered through CTAP include gravel road maintenance, dust control on unpaved roads, and culvert installation and maintenance.

PUBLICATION OFFERINGS

LTAP centers distribute publications directly to local agencies upon request, or they lend a limited number of resources for a specific time period. "If we receive multiple copies from our various sources, we distribute the extra copies to interested customers and then retain one copy for our publication library," said Bob Raths, director of the Oregon LTAP. "Items that we maintain in our publication library are listed on our Web site under 'publications.'

"The publications in our library are available for loan to our customers-those being city, county, tribal governments, and federal agencies that reside in Oregon. We also lend publications and videotapes to other state LTAP programs. If a publication has no copyright, or is 'in the public domain,' we will usually make a copy and send it out rather than providing a leaner copy." Each local agency is advised to access its own state's LTAP to review specific policies for publication distribution.

The Iowa LTAP offers-through the Web site of the Center for Transportation Research and Education (CTRE) at Iowa State University-links to numerous research reports that are either completed or in progress. One report completed for the Minnesota DOT, Safety Impacts of Street Lighting at Isolated Rural Intersections, is available for download as a PDF file. According to the Web site, "this study was initiated to evaluate the effectiveness of rural street lighting in reducing nighttime crashes at isolated rural intersections so that Minnesota agencies have more information to make lighting decisions."

Many other resources related to rural road safety can be found at CTRE's Web site under the "Traffic Safety" link. Kentucky's LTAP also has a similar offering on its Web site under the "Focus on Safety" link, which links to the Kentucky Transportation Center at the University of Kentucky. Reports such as Traffic Control at Stop Sign Approaches and Crash Rates at Intersections can be reviewed and downloaded in PDF format.

Resources also are provided by LTAP centers in the form of videotapes, CD-ROMs, and newsletters. Maryland's LTAP center has an extensive library of 450 videos. Their lending policy is that tapes are loaned free of charge for a period of two weeks. The Center has also obtained permission to duplicate selected videotapes; these may be purchased for $15 each. Videotapes on specific topics can be located through an online search. Orders also can be placed online.

Two examples of videotapes related to rural road safety are:

• Traffic Safety Series-Identifies highway safety problems and solutions and provides information on evaluating and selecting the best safety alternatives and evaluating safety program results;

• Highway Safety Design -- A course on how to use accident information in design decisions. Subjects covered are the appropriate use of accident data, highway cross-section and horizontal curves, pedestrian and bicycle safety, effects of roadway factors on severity and frequency of accidents, conflict types, accident variables and types, and accident reduction factors.

Other options also are available. "We offer free publications provided by the FHWA and other agencies that represent the latest research in transportation issues," said Wendy Schmidt, training operations coordinator for the Washington LTAP. "Our video lending library contains over 500 training videos. The videos are ordered by phone and are borrowed for a two-week period."

PROVIDING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Several LTAP centers provide software applications to local agencies. One such program is the Interactive Highway Safety Design Model, accessed through a link on the Ohio LTAP Web site. This software helps agencies evaluate safety and operational effects of geometric design decisions on two-lane rural highways; it can be downloaded free of charge. Product registration, user manuals, and technical support also are available.

But some public works employees may not have time to visit Web sites, read publications, and watch videotapes. For them, the Maine LTAP provides an alternate solution: onsite assistance and consulting directly to local towns through the services of Phil Curtis, a local consultant hired by LTAP. Maine's "Road Ranger" will visit with the public works department at the garage or on a jobsite. He answers public works related questions, teaches workshops, and is available to meet with local committees and elected officials.

There are numerous resources available through a network of LTAP centers, and with a center located in each state, local agencies don't need to look far for assistance. "Generally when we get requests for information from out-of-state local agencies we try to refer them to their state's LTAP center; a LTAP center from the same state as the local agency will know best how the requested information relates to the local agency," said Tim Colling, P.E., assistant director for the Michigan LTAP center. "That being said, all of the LTAP centers work together in the end, so if another center needs a resource we have, we will gladly send them the material we have."

Still, chances are that Phil the "Road Ranger" is unlikely to show up at public works garages run by local agencies outside of Maine.

A comprehensive list of Web sites and contact information for each LTAP can be found at www.ltapt2.org. This site also provides additional resources on rural roads through the "Resources" link.

What is LTAP?

The Federal Highway Administration defines the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) as the primary transportation information resource for local and tribal governments. In accomplishing this goal, LTAP provides access to technical assistance, training, and information on new transportation technologies. Technology transfer activities are made available through a variety of projects including services provided by a network of 57 LTAP centers located in each state, Puerto Rico, and six Tribal Technical Assistance Programs (TTAP).

The federal government pays 50% of the annual funding for LTAP centers up to $110,000, and 50% or more matching funds are obtained from state, university, and local funds. Monies also come from contributed resources and services, training funds, statewide planning and research funds, and safety funds. Tribal LTAP centers are 100% federally funded.

Each center's director has the flexibility to tailor the program to local needs. Responsibilities include conducting training, delivering technical assistance, and publishing newsletters. Centers adapt a mix of technology transfer and marketing tools to meet their localities' unique circumstances.

Copyright Public Works Journal Corporation Jul 2005

Source: Public Works