TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GOES INTERNATIONAL By WILLIAM T. SUNLEY, Engineer of Local Roads and Streets

The Department of Transportation's Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) is designed to share highway technology and provide technical assistance to local governments. This is accomplished through a variety of activities and projects that link local highway agencies, tribal governments, states, universities and the federal government.

A network of LTAP (T2) Centers brings technology transfer services, products and educational resources to the local level. These centers are located in each state and Puerto Rico. In addition to the 51 centers, four other centers were established in 1993 to offer assistance to American Indian Tribal Governments.

These T2 Centers, generally located at universities or State highway agencies, serve over 38,000 local agencies responsible for maintaining over 2.9 million miles of highways and streets and over 290,000 bridges with a budget over $30 billion. Collectively, these centers maintain a mailing list totaling 109,400 entries with an average growth rate of 37.5% over the past five years. Usage of center libraries has nearly doubled over the past five years while distribution of video training tapes has grown 200%. The largest component of the centers efforts has been local agency training. T2 Centers collectively have offered 20,187 days of training, attended by 263,061 individuals.

The growth and continued success of the LTAP Centers has sparked international interest.

The Local Technical Assistance Program served as a model for the Pan American Institute of Highways, which has established a network of national technology transfer centers that serve South and Central America. Many countries, including Canada, Finland, Australia and the newly developed Baltic States, are requesting information to establish a technology transfer network.

The Federal Highway Administration's Office of International Programs is fostering development of International Technology Exchange Centers which are modeled after U.S. LTAP Centers. Like the one recently established in Helsinki, Finland, these centers facilitate the exchange of highway technology with other advanced countries. The Federal Highway Administration furnishes U.S. highway technology and products and receives in exchange new ideas and highway technology for circulation by T2 Centers to the U.S. highway community.

Your T2 Center is located in the Bureau of Local Roads and Streets at the Illinois Department of Trans-

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portation. The center publishes a quarterly newsletter "Illinois Interchange" including articles on upcoming seasonal activities, innovative ideas, management concepts and safety suggestions to help you perform your duties in a safer, more efficient manner. The newsletter is distributed to the 3,700 contacts on the Center's mailing list. The Video and Publication Library contains 36 video tapes and 10 publications. Tapes and publications are listed in the "Video and Publication Library" brochure of the "Illinois Interchange" along with an order blank and instructions on how to obtain. The T2 Training Program is made up of a variety of tuition free classes for local agencies. In 1994 a total of 70 classes involving 26 subjects, were held in 16 locations around the State.

The class listing and schedule is published in the Fall (August) issue of the "Illinois Interchange."

The T2 Program is for your benefit. Your input will help direct and guide the T2 Program in the direction that will be most beneficial to your needs.

Credits to: Wilbert E. Scheller, Local Technology Transfer Program Coordinator.

May 1995 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 27