Every year 38,000 local transportation agencies throughout the United States maintain 2.9 million miles of roads and more than 29,000 bridges. At the same time that resources are shrinking, the tasks facing a typical local or tribal road agency are expanding in number and complexity. And the costs and time required to keep up to date increase as fast as the tasks. The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) was designed to help local and tribal transportation agencies.

In 1981, the original rural technical assistance mission was established with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and federal appropriation. The pilot program was modeled after the historic agricultural extension system and included the creation of technology transfer centers to provide the link to local agencies. By 1985, the pilot program know today as LTAP, was a success in large part because centers' abilities to adapt national training programs and services meet unique local needs.

The program grew, evolved, and created services and products to meet changing needs and technologies. LTAP centers have been established in every state and Puerto Rico. Urban areas became customers, and Tribal Centers serving Native American Tribal Governments have been added.

Louisiana's technical assistance program began in 1987 as a joint undertaking of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) and the Louisiana Transportation Research center (LTRC) and LSU. It is a technical training, information and assistance program designed to bridge the gap between federal, state and local transportation professionals. Louisiana's LTAP stimulates active, progressive and cost-effective transfer of highway technology and technical assistance to rural and local governments through a variety of resources including on-site training, a publications and videotape library, workshops, newsletters and manuals, most of which is made available at no charge to local governments.

Today, LTAP is providing more opportunities than ever, and our commitment to service remains our top priority.