The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has issued a letter clarifying the process to obtain an eligibility letter for cable barrier systems.

The “open letter” from Michael S. Griffith, director of the Office of Safety Technologies in the Office of Safety, is addressed to members of the “highway safety hardware and roadside design community.”

He notes that the FHWA received questions about the eligibility letter over the past several months.

The demand for roadway industry jobs is enormous and will continue growing, Karen Bobo, director of the Center for Transportation Workforce Development at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), said at today’s Workforce Development Open Forum.

The “critical task” is developing a qualified workforce, she told the group attending the Open Forum held as part of ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo. The question for everyone was how to achieve that.

She said it’s essential to identify emerging skills and training that will be needed and finding effective ways to attract employees who will want to invest in the industry.

Every company seeks to recruit and retain the most talented personnel but how to do it takes insights and skill.

Join the Workforce Development Open Forum on Wednesday (Feb. 10) for a live discussion from 10 a.m. to noon EST about developing a new model for success that identifies, trains and places individuals for jobs in the roadway safety infrastructure industry.

Learn from seasoned personnel from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and bring your ideas and questions.

The Workforce Development Open Forum is included in full registration for ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo being held online through Feb. 18.

ATSSA’s Annual Report for 2020 is now available online. This year’s theme is “A Year of Transitions” and lays out the many achievements that took place across the Association in a historic year.

The report opens with a letter from President & CEO Stacy Tetschner who arrived at ATSSA just before the global pandemic forced staff to begin working from home.

The Association kicked off 2020 with a 50^th anniversary celebration at its Annual Convention & Traffic Expo held in New Orleans. There members said their farewells to President & CEO Roger Wentz who retired after 22 years.

Training and technology were identified as two important areas to address during this morning’s Roadway Worker Protection Summit, the kick-off event of ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo.

“Training is absolutely critical,” said Kathi Holst, a four-decade member of the industry, an ATSSA board member and president & CEO of RCMS in Naperville, Ill. “If we aren’t providing training … we are negligent.”

Holst was one of four panelists for the Summit, which addressed both prevention of work zone incidents and resources for use if the worst happens and an employee gets killed on the job. ATSSA Vice President of Education & Technical Services Donna Clark and ATSS Foundation Chair Dave Krahulec moderated the discussion, which also included Doug Dolinar, who is president of Guidemark Inc. of Souderton, Pa., and also an ATSSA board member.

ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo begins today, launching with a Roadway Worker Protection Summit at 10 a.m. EST that includes a panel discussion about ways to protect employees and what to do if tragedy strikes.

Hear from people who have walked that tough journey and bring your own ideas to share.

It’s not too late to register for everything this two-week, online event has to offer including MUTCD chats, nearly 50 education sessions, multiple networking events, industry panels, a government advocacy event and national awards. This event provides a unique opportunity to make vital connections with members of the roadway safety industry.

Information is now available that clarifies issues related to implementing the 2016 edition of the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH).

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) publishes MASH and issued the latest updates in a Question-and-Answer format. The latest information is the result of work produced by a joint technical working group of people from state departments of transportation (DOTs), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and accredited crash testing labs, according to a statement included in the release.

As more states move to legalize marijuana and decriminalize other controlled substances, employers face increasing challenges and liability from employment-related claims in the workplace.

From demands to accommodate medical marijuana use in the workplace to disability related accommodation requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers are required to navigate evolving state laws decriminalizing marijuana while federal law continues to prohibit marijuana and other controlled substances.

From the ADA to OSHA to workers compensation claims involving impaired employees, this education session – “The Grass Isn’t Always Greener: The Impact of Increased Marijuana Legalization on the Workplace and Other Employment Law Developments” -evaluates employers’ legal duties while providing practical advice to help avoid employment claims. This is one of nearly 50 education sessions offered at ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo. It concludes with a look ahead at emerging law trends that may impact your company in 2021, including claims emerging from COVID-19 and new federal and state regulations.

The Senate today confirmed former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg as Secretary of Transportation, adding him to the cabinet of President Joe Biden.

Buttigieg campaigned on the need for transportation and infrastructure investment throughout his bid to become the Democrats’ nominee for president. During his hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee last month, he touched on the need for shoring up revenue for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), increased investment in tribal and rural roads, the future of autonomous vehicles and the need for safety to be at the forefront of any new transportation or infrastructure initiative.

The Senate Commerce Committee forwarded his nomination to the full Senate on Wednesday by a 21-3 vote.

The full Senate confirmed Buttigieg’s nomination by a vote of 86-13.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has extended the time for public comment to May 14 for the first comprehensive update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) in more than a decade.

The document opened for public comment on Dec. 14 as originally reported here and was originally to allow comments through March 15.

The Notice of Proposed Amendments for the 11^th edition of the MUTCD contains more than 600 proposed changes, according to a statement from the FHWA.