1. Getting the Most Out of TRB / State DOT Partnership Visits
PennDOT Research
Getting the Most Out of TRB / State DOT Partnership Visits
PennDOT’s Experience with Enhancing the Value of the TRB Annual Field Visit

2. PennDOT – 2010 Field Visit As You Know…
Purpose of the TRB Annual Field Visit Program is to provide a broad perspective of the activities, issues and needs of the state DOT to TRB
Keeping DOT staff up to date on any assistance or information that TRB has that can help in addressing research needs or issues
Provides a forum for state DOTs to suggest problems or issues that TRB needs to address

3. Maintenance Executive Development Program [MEDP]
PennDOT – 2010 Field Visit
For the 2010 TRB Field Visit…
Initial conference call with TRB staff member assigned to PA [Frank Lisle, Maintenance Engineer]
Since Frank’s areas of expertise involved all things maintenance, we decided to combine his visit to Pennsylvania with our Department’s annual gathering of maintenance mangers
Maintenance Executive Development Program [MEDP]

4. PennDOT – 2010 Field Visit A little background on MEDP
Started in 1983 to establish a forum for consistent training and transfer of information to PennDOT’s maintenance managers
County Managers
Assistant Managers
Foremen
Assistant District Executives for Maintenance

5. PennDOT – 2010 Field Visit For the 2010 TRB Field Visit…
Developed agenda for the Field Visit to coincide with the MEDP annual conference
Scheduled meetings with key executive staff and prepared a briefing paper (distributed in advance of the meetings)
Reviewed agenda with Research staff and then Highway Admin staff

6. PennDOT – 2010 Field Visit 2010 TRB Field Visit…
Day 1 of Visit: Conducted PennDOT meetings and then departed for MEDP
Day 2 of Visit: Participated at MEDP and provided a briefing to attendees
Day 3 of Visit: Participated at MEDP and then traveled to Penn State University for briefing

7. PennDOT – 2010 Field Visit MEDP & PennDOT Research / TRB…
Research staff conducted a presentation on current (active) and recently completed maintenance research projects
Fireside Chat w/ Frank Lisle
Discussion of maintenance-related research activities and hot topics being managed by TRB
Maintenance Preservation activities & Winter Operations best practices

8. PennDOT – 2010 Field Visit Thoughts & Observations…
Frank’s knowledge and expertise was truly appreciated
PennDOT maintenance managers were excited to hear about issues and hot topics affecting their counterparts in other states & at the national level
Frank was able to speak to it all…

9. PennDOT – 2010 Field Visit Thoughts & Observations…
Great way to incorporate TRB staff knowledge into state DOT business activities
Provides access and awareness of TRB research activities to a wider state DOT audience
Enables TRB to understand the current issues and challenges affecting state DOT staff
In addition to what is discussed
with executive management