College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology partners with ODOT

Friday, March 24, 2017

The College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology has established partnerships that connect Oklahoma State University and the public sector. Two of the College’s outreach programs have an extensive partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) to train federal employees throughout the state and surrounding areas with facilities located on or near the Stillwater campus.

The Center for Local Government Technology (CLGT) has worked with ODOT for over 20 years, and ODOT is the primary funder for its local technical assistance program (LTAP). The LTAP program at OSU is one of 58 programs throughout the state, and provides technical transportation assistance to all 77 counties in Oklahoma out of its Richmond Hills facility in Stillwater, OK. In addition, the Southern Plains Tribal Technical Assistance (SPTTAP) Center also works closely with ODOT on tribal transportation issues in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas.

In fiscal year 2016, a contract with ODOT gave the college a critical role in administering the Highway Construction Materials Technician Certification Board (HCMTCB) program. To comply with federal mandate 23 CFR 637.209, ODOT requires all materials technicians working on federally funded highway construction projects to be registered with the HCMTCB. The program provides training and certification in sampling and testing procedures for asphalt and cement concrete, soils, aggregates and pavement smoothness, as well as specifically designed training for highway construction inspectors.

Classroom instruction and written examinations are conducted in the college’s professional development classrooms on north campus, while hands-on training and technician evaluations take place in the new, state-of-the-art Bert Cooper Engineering Lab. The 33,000 square-foot facility, which opened in 2015, has the capacity to test structures and materials in a real-world environment in a consistent range of temperatures.

“ODOT and OSU have a long history of working together to improve the transportation infrastructure in Oklahoma, and our relationship with ODOT includes outreach and research initiatives,” says Ed Kirtley, assistant dean of outreach & extension for the college. “We are proud of our partnership with ODOT.”

For more information on the Center for Local Government Technology, visit https://clgt.okstate.edu/.

For more information about the HCMTCB program, visit http://www.oktechcert.org/.

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