ATSSA congratulates Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) on being chosen to chair the Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee in the 118^th Congress.

“ATSSA members have counted Chairman Graves as a roadway safety leader throughout his tenure on the T&I Committee and we look forward to his continued emphasis on this critical issue now that he is chair,” ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner said. “We are eager to work with him and his committee staff in the months and years ahead to ensure that roadway safety remains the top priority for Congress and the Biden administration.”

Graves’ selection was announced by the committee today. He confirmed his priority for roadway safety and infrastructure in his comments included with the announcement.

Helping achieve the industry goal of zero deaths on the nation’s roadways involves educating a range of groups from prospective partners to the general public.

Register now for the fifth and final session of ATSSA’s free Worker Safety Webinar series to gain skills to help you present your case. The Dec. 6 webinar starts at 2 p.m.

“Sharing Safety: Marketing and Partnerships to Create Safer Streets” will be led by Alex Kelly, CEO of SALT and Company, and a member of ATSSA’s Roadway Worker Protection Council. Participants will learn how to tell compelling stories about the work they are doing and leverage partnerships to increase awareness of roadway workers and the work they are doing and goals they seek to achieve. 

One week after Election Day, we finally have a good idea of what the next two years will look like on Capitol Hill.

While long thought that this year’s midterm elections would bring a “red wave” across the country, in the end Democrats were able to hold their ground in several swing states and remain in control of the Senate, while narrowly losing the House of Representatives to Republicans.

Even with the Senate race in Georgia headed to a run-off next month, Democrats know they will be in control of the Senate at least until 2024. They currently control 50 votes, plus Vice President Kamala Harris would provide a 51^st vote in the event the Senate stays 50-50 as it was prior to the election.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will host an executive-level virtual rollout of the Every Day Counts (EDC) program round 7 innovations on Dec. 2. 

These innovations will build upon the already significant legacy of EDC and support FHWA’s efforts to drive innovation around three core priorities:

• Improving safety for all road users;
• Building sustainable infrastructure for the future; and
• Growing an inclusive workforce.

EDC is a state-based program that identifies and rapidly deploys proven, yet underutilized innovations that make our transportation system adaptable, sustainable, equitable and safer for all. Proven innovations promoted through EDC facilitate greater efficiency at the State, Local and Tribal levels, saving time, money and resources to ensure our infrastructure is built better, faster, and smarter.

Register now to attend on Dec. 2 at 1:30 p.m. ET. The Executive Session is open to everyone.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will not extend its current one-year implementation delay of Buy America changes for construction materials stemming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the bipartisan infrastructure law, the department announced.

USDOT will begin enforcing the new Buy America requirements for construction materials on Thursday, according to a "notice of expiration" posted online. The notice included several concurrent and related actions USDOT is taking related to implementation.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner today sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg making three requests regarding changes to the Buy America requirements included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

“In a recent survey of ATSSA members regarding the new Buy America requirements for federally-funded infrastructure projects, there is considerable concern about the impact that these new policies will have on roadway safety,” Tetschner wrote. “Knowing of your strong commitment to reducing the number of fatalities and serious injuries on this nation’s roadways, it is important for you to consider the serious effect the new Buy America requirements will have not only on the roadway safety industry but the public as well.”

Tetschner also noted his concern regarding the "looming deadline" for implementation of the new Buy America requirements.

When ATSSA members arrive in Phoenix for the 2023 Convention & Traffic Expo in February they will find themselves in a city that’s made a name for itself as a pioneer in the testing of autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies. The region has embraced the technology and seen multiple pilots for grocery delivery as well as a driverless taxi service.

The Fall issue of Roadway Safety magazine—available online now—details these efforts in Arizona and reveals a resource for members to remove the fear factor from contract negotiations, offers members’ take on the value of in-person advocacy and explains how ATSSA’s ITS Team keeps pace with innovation.

An entire supplement is devoted to roadway worker protection and spells out efforts underway to improve worker safety from multiple perspectives.

Both issues are online now.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will hold a Sept. 29 webinar to assist individuals interested in applying for a Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grant.

Registration is now open for the webinar, which runs from 2:30-4 p.m. ET.

The grants were authorized as part of the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) approved in November. The new grant program offers up to $100 million annually over the next five years. The grants would fund transportation projects that “use data and technology to solve real-world challenges facing communities today,” according to the USDOT announcement.

The SMART Grants Program does not require other funding such as matching or cost sharing, according to USDOT.

ATSSA members interested in providing comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program have one week to submit them.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) NPRM was posted in the Federal Register on July 21.  Comments are due by next Monday.

The full text of the NPRM covers 66 pages of the Federal Register. USDOT created a summary and ATSSA assembled a list of key changes.

The deadline for submitting Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant applications is Sept. 15. 

Groups eligible to apply for the grants include metropolitan planning organizations; counties, cities, towns, transit agencies or special districts within a state; federally recognized tribal governments; and multijurisdictional groups comprised of these groups.

Activities that are eligible include developing or updating a comprehensive safety action plan; conducting planning, design and development activities in support of an action plan; and carrying out projects and strategies identified in an action plan. A list of example activities is available.