Republican members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led by Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.), today released their version of a transportation reauthorization ahead of likely Committee action in early June. The language, which is narrower in scope than the House-passed transportation bill last year, would spend $400 billion over five years on federal-aid highway projects, an increase of 32% over current funding levels.

Dubbed the Surface Transportation Advanced through Reform, Technology & Efficient Review Act 2.0 (STARTER Act 2.0), the legislation includes increases to the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP).

During AASHTO's 2021 Virtual Spring Meeting on Monday, the Council on Highways and Streets (CHS) gathered to provide updates from various stakeholders. The discussion included an update on the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) scoping study to determine the feasibility and potential next steps to convert MASH into a set of performance specifications.

Joyce Taylor from the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT), who serves as design vice chair with AASHTO, gave an update on the MASH scoping study conducted by Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). She discussed the challenges related to current testing procedures and the gray areas within the existing manual that lead to a lack of consistency, as testing may be conducted differently by facilities.

The scoping study, conducted by TTI and sponsored by AASHTO, was completed in April.

Infrastructure is in the news nearly daily and is a hot topic in the nation’s capital as Congress and the president propose ideas to address infrastructure needs.

Infrastructure Week kicks off on Monday and focuses on meeting the nation’s needs for roads and bridges as well as safe travel for pedestrians and bicyclists.

“Infrastructure is critical to roadway safety,” ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner said. “This week provides one more reminder of the importance of coming together to provide safe travel for all roadway users. In a nation where division is all too common these days, infrastructure unites us.”

Republican committee leaders in the Senate released their framework for an infrastructure package. The five-year proposal, deemed a counter proposal to the Biden Administration’s American Jobs Plan, would focus primarily on transportation, broadband and water infrastructure.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (April 22, 2021) – More than 100 ATSSA members from across the country gathered this week for ATSSA’s annual Legislative Briefing & Fly-In, which provides members an opportunity to hear directly from transportation leaders and share their priorities with members of Congress and their staff.

ATSSA members voice their roadway safety infrastructure concerns and deliver their insights directly to the people engaged in policy and funding. The two-day event, held April 21 and 22, took place online for the second straight year due to the pandemic.

This year saw record-breaking participation with registration totaling 104 people representing 28 states and Washington, D.C. ATSSA’s Government Relations Team scheduled more than 60 meetings with Congressional offices, which are taking place throughout the day.