The U.S. Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act over the weekend, a sprawling bill centered around health care provisions, corporate tax increases and climate provisions, sending the bill to the House, which is expected to approve the legislation later this week.

Within the 775-page bill, ATSSA members will also see a nearly $1.9 billion competitive grant program aimed  at improving walkability, safety and increasing affordable transportation options. 

ATSSA will continue to follow the legislation and provide updates as it moves through Congress.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) posted the final rule regarding pavement marking retroreflectivity in today’s Federal Register.

The posting states: “The purpose of this final rule is to update the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to provide standards, guidance, options, and supporting information relating to maintaining minimum levels of retroreflectivity for pavement markings. The MUTCD is incorporated in FHWA regulations and recognized as the national standard for traffic control devices used on all streets, highways, bikeways, and private roads open to public travel.”

The rule notes that it is effective on Sept. 6.

ATSSA’s Public Agency and Marty Weed Engineering scholarships offer department of transportation (DOT) officials the opportunity to participate in the largest gathering of roadway safety infrastructure officials in North America.

There they can see the latest innovations in roadway safety, interact with companies that produce them and engage with industry experts on everything from pavement marking and traffic control to technology designed to protect roadway workers and interact with connected and automated vehicles.

ATSSA’s 53^rd Annual Convention & Traffic Expo takes place in Phoenix, Feb. 17-21 and will include the New Products Rollout, Innovation Awards that go to the top products as judged by DOT officials, and the ever-popular Circle of Innovation where transportation officials from across the country and around the globe hear about the latest topics.

Scholarship applications are due by Sept. 19. Applicants will be notified by Oct. 12.

Join roadway safety professionals for ATSSA’s Midyear Meeting to help shape policies and initiatives for the roadway safety infrastructure industry for the coming year.

Network with more than 350 industry professionals from across the country who are gathering in Providence, R.I., to further innovation and infrastructure for roadway safety, Aug. 23-26.

The meeting is tailored to national committee members and friends to learn, network and build leadership skills.

“These meetings are critical to the work of our Association,” said ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner. “We lay the groundwork for many efforts and innovations for advancing roadway safety at our committee and council meetings. We were pleased by last year’s record-breaking attendance of 381 and hope to exceed that this year as we work to develop roadway safety plans that utilize the funding approved in the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act.”

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) takes the first step in activating its variable speed zone along Interstate 95 in the Fredericksburg region today.

New LED signs that can display variable speed limits will be illuminated for the first several days with the 65-70 mph limit to give drivers time to adjust to the presence of the signs, VDOT announced. The system will be fully activated on June 22, at which point speed limits could be anywhere between 35 mph and 70 mph.

ATSSA examined variable speed zones in the Winter 2022 issue of Roadway Safety magazine in an article that analyzed their use in multiple states. The article, “Do They Improve Safety?” reviewed details of how the new VDOT variable speed zone will work and how the zones have been used elsewhere in Virginia and in regions across the country.