Featured in Technology Today (Volume 39, Issue 4), a quarterly publication of the Louisiana Transportation Research Center.
The Louisiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) serves local government agencies across the state through a broad-ranging catalog of training courses, special events, and technical assistance. Leading the way among these is LTAP’s Roads Scholar Program, launched in the early 1990s, which delivers 16 practical, cost-effective training courses focused on roadway maintenance and safety.
In FY 2024-25, 608 local government employees were trained through the program. Program Manager Courtney Dupre emphasizes the value these training opportunities add to the transportation community in Louisiana, especially in rural and traditionally underserved areas. She explains: “We are very proud of our Roads Scholar Certificate Program! The program is designed to equip the state’s local agency public works professionals with the knowledge they need to thrive.”
Roads Scholar courses are offered regularly to local transportation and public works officials across Louisiana’s many parishes and municipalities, and the entire program is designed to be completed in three years. Currently available courses in the program include:
Required Classes (6)
- RS #1: Basics of a Good Road
- RS #2: Asphalt Roads, Common Maintenance Problems
- RS #3: Drainage, Key to Roads That Last
- RS #4: Temporary Traffic Control for Local Agencies
- RS #5: Safety, A Common Sense Approach for Public Works Employees
- RS #6: Heavy Equipment Safety and Maintenance for Local Agencies
Elective Courses (10)
- RS #7: Pavement Preservation and Road Surface Management
- RS #8: Successful Supervision for Local Road Supervisors
- RS #9: The Road to Better Signing
- RS #10: Unpaved and Gravel Roads
- RS #11: Road Safety Topic
- RS #12: Trenching and Excavation
- RS #13: Inspection of Local Bridges
- RS #14: Bridge Maintenance and Repair
- RS #15: Safety for Public Works First Responders
- RS #16: Roadway Construction Focus Four and Heat Hazards
Dupre highlights the value in the program’s course structure: “Our six required classes consist of what we consider core foundational skills that every public works employee should have, including: basic road maintenance, drainage, temporary traffic control, heavy equipment maintenance, and of course, on-the-job safety. The elective classes allow students to customize the certificate to whatever is most relevant in their particular job roles.”
The LTAP team has recently introduced several new offerings into the Roads Scholar catalog, including RS#11, which centers on an annual rotation of Road Safety topics. For FY 2025-26, the focus is Road Safety 365, which emphasizes integrating safety into daily operations and long-term planning across all aspects of rural and local road activities. Other new courses in development include RS#12, Trenching and Excavation Safety, and RS#16, Roadway Construction Focus Four and Heat Hazards. Local government officials across Louisiana can look forward to this training being made available for the first time soon.
Dupre is both excited by the program’s decorated history and its promising future: “It is our goal for students to enter the program and be able to graduate in just three years. I am thrilled to share that we have had 540 graduates since the program’s inception, and we look forward to many more!”
For more information on upcoming Roads Scholar offerings, contact LTAP Program Manager Courtney Dupre at (225) 767-9118 or courtney.dupre@la.gov.