Spring 2025 Newsletter

A Message From The Director

From Dr. Larry Rilett to the Alabama Transportation Assistance Program Community 

ATAP embraces a philosophy of continuous improvement, striving to enhance efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction. This year, we've prioritized direct engagement with Alabama's local transportation agencies. Feedback from our Advisory Committee, including county engineers from across Alabama, has inspired initiatives like new training courses—one focused on helping new county engineers secure federal funding—and expanded advertising efforts. We’re also committed to connecting with county engineers at conferences and through direct office visits.

ATAP employs various strategies to support local transportation agencies. In May 2025, we will present at the Association of County Engineers of Alabama (ACEA) Conference to showcase our services, survey customer needs, and network with attendees. In October, we’ll provide county-focused technical presentations at the Alabama Road Safety Conference in Florence, featuring two sessions with three state-of-the-practice presentations.

Additionally, in collaboration with ALDOT, ATAP supports the Safety Technical Assistance for Counties and Cities (STACC) Program, which offers technical assistance, training, and activities aimed at reducing road fatalities and injuries. Upcoming initiatives include developing Safety Action Plans for partner communities, including one currently underway for the City of Selma, and delivering roadway departure training in partnership with ALDOT and FHWA. ATAP works closely with counties and cities to assess problem areas, propose solutions, and assist in securing funding. ATAP’s overarching goal is to build strong partnerships and be a reliable resource for addressing complex challenges.

I am excited to welcome Mr. Tyler Mitchell as ATAP's new Associate Director of Training and Technical Assistance.  With eight years at Baldwin County Highway Department and three years as a Project Manager at Mott McDonald, Tyler brings invaluable expertise in addressing the outreach needs of local agencies. His knowledge and experience will strengthen our coordination efforts with Alabama's county customers. Welcome aboard, Tyler!

In conclusion, I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to our dedicated county professionals across Alabama. Your feedback plays a vital role in improving our services, so please take a moment to complete our surveys and feel free to reach out with any suggestions. Wishing you a safe and wonderful spring — I look forward to connecting with you at our upcoming events!

Courses, Workshops and Webinars

ATAP remains committed to supporting public works agencies across Alabama by offering a variety of technical and training workshops and webinars. This year, ATAP has hosted Flagger Training, Temporary Traffic Control and the MUTCD, as well as Designing Pedestrian Facilities for Accessibility in cities throughout the state. In April, we conducted Signs, Pavement Markings, and the MUTCD workshops in four locations: Daphne, Auburn, Tuscaloosa, and Huntsville.

Looking ahead to summer, the Fundamentals of Traffic Engineering workshops will take place in June and July, with sessions scheduled in Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery, and Daphne.

Additionally, don’t miss our May webinar: Ethics – Build A Better Workplace, designed to help you foster a stronger, more ethical professional environment.

In addition, ATAP has played a key role in hosting the TRB AJE35 RIIM Webinar series. This free series offers one-hour webinars featuring expert panel discussions on specific research topics. Attendees can earn one Professional Development Hour (PDH) upon completion. So far, three webinars—'Communicating Research Priorities from a State DOT Perspective: Lessons Learned,' 'The ABCs of TCIs and UTCs,' and 'Working with USDOT UTCs: From Conception to Implementation'—have been highly successful. Recordings of the presentations, the PowerPoint slides and transcripts for each session are available on the ATAP website at https://aub.ie/trbwebinars.

Save The Date!

Conferences

The 2025 Alabama Transportation Conference (ATC) was held on February 11-12 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center in Birmingham, Alabama. With over 1,000 transportation officials in attendance, the event provided valuable insights and discussions on key industry topics. Key highlights include a keynote luncheon speech by Governor Kay Ivey, one by ALDOT Director John Cooper, and a series of technical presentations from prominent national transportation leaders. Slides of the ATC speakers, who gave permission, are available on the ATAP website at https://aub.ie/atc2025presentations.

In 2025, ATAP will host the 12th Annual Road Safety Conference from October 21-23 at the Renaissance Shoals Resort & Spa in Florence, Alabama. This conference will provide valuable insights into programs and techniques that help agencies improve planning, design, and operations to enhance safety performance. This year's keynote address will highlight the importance of worker mental health and explore ways agencies can better support their employees. More details on registration, agenda, speakers, and accommodations will be available in August 2025 on the ATAP website at https://aub.ie/2025arsc.

Build A Better Mousetrap

Each year, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) hosts the Build a Better Mousetrap national recognition program. This initiative highlights innovative solutions to challenges faced by local or tribal work in planning or procedures. Submissions of all kinds are welcomed into four categories: innovative projects, SMART transformations, bold steps, or pioneering tools. Below you can find explanations for each of these categories, as defined by the FHWA.

Innovative Project should be any solution that addresses any or all phase(s) of the “project” life cycle—Planning, Design/Engineering, Construction, Operations, and Maintenance.

SMART transformations are locally relevant, significant changes in any transportation activity or process that is SMART-- “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time bound,” and should result in improved efficiencies.

Bold steps refer to a high-risk project or process that shows a breakthrough solution with demonstrated high rewards.

And finally, Pioneering tools are products/tools that are among the first to solve a maintenance problem with a home-grown solution.

Submissions are evaluated on several criteria: overall impact, benefits to the community or agency, originality, potential for broader application, cost-effectiveness, time savings, and the quality of the application. Local or tribal agencies that wish to participate should contact their nearest LTAP for more information.

ATAP's Safety First Quiz: Temporary Traffic Control Safety

Question: What is wrong with this picture?

Background: In the picture, the road crew is closing the right lane on a multi-lane roadway just beyond the intersection. How do we alert the motorists that the right lane is closed and requires a merging taper? How long should a merging taper be to meet MUTCD requirements and allow a motorist to safely navigate around the right lane closure?

Answer: The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) states in Section 6C-08 Tapers, Page 557, Note 4, “The appropriate taper length (L) should be determined using the criteria shown in Tables 6C-3 and 6C-4”. There are several potential safety issues. Following MUTCD guidelines, the taper length is determined based upon the speed of the roadway and the offset width of the travel lane. Additionally, consideration should be given to intersecting roadways and how to provide advance warning and guidance to those motorists. This scenario is covered in the ATAP Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) workshops. The workshop will cover the key sections of the MUTCD, demonstrate how to avoid potential liability, and, most importantly, provide the tools to keep workers safe.

If you haven’t been through our TTC training, or would like to refresh your TTC training, we would like to see you at our next workshops. Please see page 4 or go to the ATAP website for the upcoming schedule of workshops. This example was provided by ATAP Associate Director Scott Tison (334-844-5762 or sit0006@auburn.edu). If you have any questions about worker’s safety, work zone traffic control or any other questions please don’t hesitate to call ATAP at (334) 844-5762 or by email at atap@auburn.edu.

Staff Spotlight

Scott Tison, a native of Gainesville, FL, is a new member of Alabama’s LTAP Center. As Associate Director for Technical and Training Assistance, Scott places great value on developing and maintaining relationships on behalf of ATAP with Federal, State and Local stakeholders. This includes meeting with stakeholders to assess training/technical assistance needs, site assessments and serving as primary instructor for most of the ATAP sponsored courses. Scott’s extensive background in Asphalt, Concrete, Drainage and Temporary Traffic Control are a major asset for the agencies that ATAP serves. Scott is also a member of several TRB Committees and assists AASHTO with developing their T3 Curriculum.

Prior to this, Scott served at LTAPs in both Florida and North Carolina and instructed courses for numerous others. Scott holds a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication from Liberty University. In his personal time, Scott enjoys spending time with his wife, Wanda, their five (5) Grandchildren and their dog, Lola. He is an avid sports fan who has appeared on sports radio/podcasts as a guest host on numerous occasions. He also listens to as many podcasts as possible. His favorite topics include politics, religion and unexplained phenomenon.

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