Road Scholar Training

The Texas Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) invites county and municipal road and bridge maintenance personnel, supervisors, directors, and engineers to expand their knowledge and improve their skills by taking part in a unique training program.

For a nominal fee, LTAP is able to present its Roads Scholar Training Program, which helps counties and municipalities by providing training about quality maintenance and management practices. The program is an invaluable resource, providing quality training at a price that is affordable to counties and municipalities.

The following courses are being offered through LTAP and can be tailored to meet your agency's specific needs. Dates and locations can be scheduled to ensure the maximum efficiency of your crew while providing them with the information necessary to make their jobs more safe and efficient.

The following courses are being offered through the program:

• Drainage: This course includes a presentation on solutions to some common problems caused by poor road drainage. Also presented are the use, construction, materials, and pipe and inlet sizes of typical drainage structures.
• Maintenance Problems on Asphalt Roads: This course includes a review of the causes of potholes, rutting, corrugations, alligator cracking and the appropriate repair procedures for each. Proper repair techniques, materials and equipment used to produce a lasting repair are also covered.
• Work Zone Traffic Control: This course includes a review of Part VI of the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (TMUTCD), and discusses when and how to use signs and flaggers, with an emphasis on short-term maintenance work sites.
• Proper Signs and Signing: This course includes a review of the TMUTCD, Part II-B and II-C. Also covered are which signs should be posted and where, and good sign installation practices.
• Asphalt Pavements - Preventive Maintenance Using Surface Treatments: Covered in this course are when, where and how to apply chip and slurry seals on existing asphalt roads, including the correct application methods. Also discussed are practical tips on how to avoid trouble, and a discussion on equipment and calculations.
• Equipment Operation and Worker Safety: This course covers key training points for the safe and effective operation of dump trucks, graders, loaders and other equipment.
• Gravel and Unpaved Roads: This course covers the basics of good unpaved road maintenance, including proper crowning, maintaining shoulders, regravelling and stabilizing.
• Roadside Vegetation Control: This course reviews plant materials, control chemicals, equipment, and common maintenance practices and concerns.
• Asphalt Surfacing/Resurfacing: This course presents information on which materials to use in different situations, including preparation, application, types of equipment, safety and proper compaction.
• Risk Management/Tort Liability: This course covers major liability exposures and ways to reduce risks in areas such as signing, complaint reporting and work zone traffic control.
• Bridge Maintenance and Safety Inspection: This course includes useful techniques for minor bridge maintenance, including the structural elements of a bridge, bridge safety inspections and instructions on who should perform such inspections.
• Building Good Road Bases/Sub-Bases: This course covers principles of stabilization of soil aggregate systems, including the use of lime, fly ash, cement, asphalt and calcium chloride as stabilizing agents. Also covered are methods for selecting the best stabilizer for common situations.
• Roadside Safety: This course covers installation and maintenance of roadway markers, delineators and guardrails. Also covered are hazard removal and marking, and a summary of TxDOT regulations regarding roadway safety features.
• Geotextiles: This course includes a comprehensive review of what geotextiles are, how they can be used, and how they can help save time and money.
• Saving Money with Asphalt Recycling: This course includes a review of current asphalt pavement recycling techniques, including hot mix recycling and surface recycling with an emphasis on cold mix recycling. Recent asphalt recycling projects and their procedures are also discussed
• Timber Bridges: This course includes an update on current technology in building timber bridges, including different types, construction, maintenance and expected life.

If you are interested in any of these courses and would like to set up dates for instruction in your area, or if you have questions, please call 800-824-7303.

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