ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner issued the following statement today after President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) into law.

“With the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) now signed into law, it is important to recognize the members of Congress that stepped up for our country and did the job we asked them to do.

“The IIJA is a bipartisan success story, which is something that has become a rare sight on Capitol Hill. However, despite this legislation having support on both sides of the aisle, other members of Congress have taken the opportunity to attack those that stood up and voted to pass this legislation. I specifically want to acknowledge 13 Republican members of the House of Representatives."

ATSSA will host a Town Hall next Thursday to discuss the infrastructure package recently approved by both houses of Congress.

The Town Hall will be led by ATSSA Vice President of Engagement Nate Smith and answer the question: What does it mean for ATSSA members?

The Senate approved the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in August and the House of Representatives approved it late Friday. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the legislation soon.

The Federal Highway Administration is hosting a Nov. 22 webinar providing its “Proven Safety Countermeasures 2021 Update,” which will highlight two innovations that are part of the Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) program.

Register now for this free event in which the Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon and Crosswalk Visibility Enhancements will be highlighted. Nine new countermeasures will be introduced during the webinar along with a briefing on new features in the program’s website and implementation resources.

ATSSA kicked off its Worker Safety Webinar Series today with a session by Alex Kelly, founder and CEO of SALT + Company.

Calling her presentation “Road Safety 101,” Kelly discussed big picture issues related to the transportation industry and encouraged company owners to veer outside their lane—though not literally—to explore alternate avenues for partnerships.

Today’s session was the first of five Worker Safety Webinars and sponsored by the ATSSA Training Department and the new Roadway Safety Protection Council. The next four webinars will take place in 2022.

Seven states held statewide elections on Tuesday with two states--Maine and Texas--passing ballot initiatives that will provide bonding for infrastructure projects.

Voters approved a $100 million proposal for general obligation bonds for transportation infrastructure projects in Maine, with $85 million for highways and bridges, and $15 million for rail, aviation, ports and active transportation. 

In Texas, voters approved a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. The proposition authorizes counties to issue bonds or notes to raise funds for transportation and infrastructure in underdeveloped areas. 

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner released a statement today regarding the failure of the House of Representatives to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

“The failure of the House of Representatives to do their jobs and pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is disappointing and dangerous. Unfortunately, having to release a statement like this is becoming the norm instead of the exception,” he said.

“Congress, specifically the House progressives and House Republican leadership, have decided to use this important historical investment in our nation’s roads, bridges and safety as political leverage. They are playing politics with every road user’s life, instead of protecting them. I would hope that they use the month of November to come to their senses and pass this bipartisan legislation and do the job they were voted into office to carry out.”

With the current surface transportation authorization set to expire over the weekend, Congress passed a short-term extension of the FAST Act, the current authorization, that will run until Dec. 3.

Earlier this afternoon the House appeared close to voting on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, but Democrats were unable to come to an agreement on a vote for a separate $1.75 trillion reconciliation package, the framework of which was released today.

AASHTO’s Council on Highways and Streets voted Wednesday to support a resolution to convert the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) to a specification.

The vote took place during the Council’s meeting as part of AASHTO’s annual meeting in San Diego.

AASHTO maintains MASH and commissioned the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) to conduct a scoping study on the idea of converting MASH 2016 to a specification. The study was completed this year, according to a presentation by Maine Department of Transportation Chief Engineer Joyce Taylor, who serves as vice chair of AASHTO’s Committee on Design. The association also held two webinars in June with state and industry officials to address opportunities and challenges the conversion would bring.

The move to convert MASH into a performance specification is aimed at “developing a more consistent testing of roadside hardware,” according to the Council on Highways and Streets resolution.

ATSSA will hold the first in a series of five worker safety webinars on Nov. 9.

“Road Safety 101” will be led by Alex Kelly, CEO of SALT + COMPANY, who was recently named to ATSSA’S Roadway Worker Protection Council.

The first event in the Worker Safety Webinar Series is sponsored by the ATSSA Training Department and the Roadway Worker Protection Council and is free for ATSSA members. Dates haven’t been set yet for the other four seminars, which will be held in 2022.

ATSSA members have been hit hard by this year’s labor shortage with one declaring, it’s “killing us.”

Read the Fall 2021 issue of Roadway Safety magazine to learn how your colleagues are coping and how ATSSA responded with a new tool to attract students and recent graduates to the field of roadway safety.

The magazine also includes an emotional piece about three people who became roadway safety advocates as a result of personal loss. You can also get a detailed update on colorized bike lanes at multiple jurisdictions, research results on studies of presence lighting and digital speed signs, and some early information about ATSSA's Annual Convention & Traffic Expo coming up in Febuary. 

Plus, check out our Training Spotlight, which includes a two-page, full-color chart detailing state-by-state requirements.