The PennDOT Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) is one of 52 LTAP centers across the nation (one in each state, Puerto Rico and one regional center serving American Indian tribal governments.) These centers are dedicated to transferring transportation technology through training, technical assistance, and other customer services to municipal elected officials and their staff. The LTAP program is designed to help Pennsylvania’s municipalities, which maintain over 78,000 miles of roadways, make the best use of their roadway maintenance dollars. PennDOT LTAP provides technical information and proven technologies dealing with roadway maintenance and safety methods to meet the growing demands on municipal governments. PennDOT LTAP has provided technology transfer services to Pennsylvania’s 2600 municipal governments since 1983.

On average, the PennDOT LTAP training and technology transfer programs train and assist nearly 6,000 municipal employees per year in effective and efficient maintenance procedures, essential safety practices, and infrastructure management processes. Historically, PennDOT LTAP has augmented this training with nearly 200 one-on-one technical assistance sessions and the dissemination of approximately 50,000 pieces of information highlighting practical technological advances. PennDOT LTAP services include:

Training:

LTAP training takes many forms and is offered at little or no cost to municipalities. Training events include scheduled workshop training, Roads Scholar courses, on-site roadshows, and local product demonstrations. We will bring all the Roads Scholar courses as well as customized versions of them, directly to the municipalities as Road Shows. Typically, a municipality or association of municipalities will arrange a half day session for their road departments and officials. Such hosted courses may also be attended by employees and officials from nearby communities with permission of the host.

About the Courses

Participants improve their road and bridge maintenance and safety skills with the latest proven methods and procedures. Roadmasters, road superintendents, road crews, public works personnel, managers, and elected officials are shown how new techniques and technologies apply to their maintenance and safety needs. Officials and managers in Pennsylvania's municipal governments are responsible for maintaining about 78,000 miles of roadway.

Constructing and caring for roads and streets accounts for an average of 32 percent of municipal budgets. Roads Scholar courses help to stretch those budgets, providing information that squeezes the most out of dollars invested. Courses are conducted by LTAP's technology transfer specialists, who are well versed in the latest developments and technologies. They are experienced in municipal engineering and have extensive knowledge of road and street maintenance and safety.

It Costs You Nothing But Your Time

You may attend scheduled courses, held at convenient locations around the state or request that LTAP bring any course to your municipal site. LTAP provides all equipment necessary to present courses: videos, slides, samples, and handouts. All you need to supply is a room that can be darkened, an electrical outlet, and chairs for the participants. A pot of coffee is optional, but appreciated.

Technical Assistance:

LTAP Engineers are available by phone, email, and in person to help municipalities troubleshoot specific maintenance and safety problems on their roadways.

Newsletters and Technical Information Sheets:

The PennDOT LTAP newsletter is distributed twice a year to at least one contact in each Pennsylvania municipality as well as the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) officials, metropolitan and rural planning organizations, and other LTAP centers. The newsletter covers new programs, practices, technologies, legislation, reminders, and money-saving tips applicable to municipal maintenance and safety efforts.  These newsletters and technical information sheets are available for download from this website, even without an LTAP user account.

Lending Library:

PennDOT LTAP maintains a library of publications, videos, and CD-ROMs on maintenance and safety topics. You can search the collection and make requests via the LTAP website.