COVID-19 Impacts
LTAP conducted a study to collect and identify common challenges that local public works and transportation agencies faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery. The effort included: (1) a review of existing literature, (2) dissemination of an electronic survey to local Louisiana agencies, and (3) one-on-on interviews with select Louisiana agencies. LTAP recently completed the study and summarized results in a brief white paper, which can be accessed at www.louisianaltap.org/pdf/COVID_Impacts_White_Paper.pdf. The paper lists the most common challenges [refer to the list below], results of the survey (identifying the main difficulties faced by the surveyed agencies and their distribution), actions taken by surveyed agencies in response to budget cuts, and 17 key findings. LTAP would like to thank the 42 agencies who completed the survey. Future extensions of this work will include summarizing how these challenges were overcome, the main lessons learned, and recommendations for better preparedness in the future.
ID 1: Challenge - Staffing
Maintaining a consistent sizeable workforce
- Determining which staff were “essential”
- Modifying schedules to limit in-person interaction
- Overcoming periods of staff absences due to quarantines, sickness, or caring for family
- Inability to hire staff (due to hiring freezes, competition with unemployment benefits, etc.)
ID2: Challenge - Procedural
Implementing new safety (or other) protocols
- Developing new safety protocols
- Understanding constantly changing protocols
- Effectively communicating protocols to staff (and providing appropriate training)
- Ensuring protocols were followed
ID 3: Challenge - Acquisition
Obtaining personal protective equipment (PPE) or other materials required for operation
- Understanding what PPE was necessary to protect staff
- Understanding how to (and the responsible party to) acquire PPE
- Having available funds to purchase PPE
- Acquiring other material required for typical operation
ID 4: Challenge - Budget Modifications
Eliminating or modifying services due to anticipated (or actual) budget cuts
- Imposing a hiring freeze
- Suspending salary increases
- Eliminating staff positions
- Deferring routine recurring work
- Eliminating (or significantly reducing) provided services
- Suspending services
- Delaying planned contracts/projects
ID 5: Challenge - Relief Funding
Acquiring relief funding