The Minnesota Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) has launched two new online courses.
Sign Maintenance and Management for Local Agencies is designed to help maintenance staff better understand sign materials, placement, installation, and retroreflectivity, as well as general maintenance and management practices. It also teaches students how to understand new federal requirements related to sign maintenance and management.
“The development of this course stemmed from the realization that no consistent sign training is available and that many key maintenance staff are retiring without transferring their knowledge to younger staff,” says Mindy Carlson, Minnesota LTAP program manager.
In the other new course, Culvert Installation and Maintenance for Local Agencies, students learn about the purpose of well-designed, well-built, and well-maintained culverts. The course also highlights the important role culverts play in the drainage system and why proper design, installation, and maintenance are essential for well-performing culverts.
Students are free to access the courses anytime and anywhere within a five-month time frame. “They’re perfect for students who are unable to travel or prefer to work at their own pace,” Carlson says.
The cost of each course is $65 (or $75 to register for Continuing Education Credit). “The training is a great way to stretch local agency training budgets,” Carlson adds. Twenty students have enrolled in each of the courses, and nearly half of those have already completed them.
The sign course, funded by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board (LRRB), was developed by SRF Consulting Group in collaboration with a technical expert panel including CH2MHILL, the U of M, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), and city and county agencies.
Minnesota LTAP developed the culvert course with funding from the LRRB. Barr Engineering helped develop the curriculum with a technical assistance panel including representatives from MnDOT, the Circuit Training and Assistance Program, Advanced Drainage Systems, American Concrete Pipe Association, and Minnesota Concrete Pipe Association.
Minnesota LTAP is sponsored by the LRRB, MnDOT, the Federal Highway Administration, and CTS.
