ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner today sent a letter to Federal Highway Administration Administrator Shailen P. Bhatt urging the FHWA to publish the updated Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) by the deadline set forth in the U.S. Code.

“On behalf of the American Traffic Safety Services Association’s (ATSSA) 1,500 member companies, I write to urge the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to publish the 11th edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) by the May 15th deadline required under Section 109(d)(2) of title 23, United States Code,” Tetschner wrote in today’s letter.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner this week submitted comments to the Federal Register on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Review of its General Applicability Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Manufactured Products.

“ATSSA strongly urges FHWA to continue the current public interest waiver for manufactured products that do not contain iron or steel,” ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner said in the ATSSA submission. “Especially with the challenge of increasing traffic fatalities in recent years, it is not an appropriate time to potentially hamstring the ability to deploy life-saving devices and countermeasures on U.S. roadways when the [U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)] and state and local agencies are aggressively moving to combat these fatalities.

“If, however, FHWA proposes to alter the current waiver, ATSSA strongly encourages FHWA to continue to exempt transportation products that are incorporated into highway safety improvement projects as defined in 23 U.S.C. 148, regardless of federal program funding source.”

WASHINGTON – House Transportation & Infrastructure Chair Sam Graves commended ATSSA members on Tuesday for investing the time to take their roadway safety insights to Capitol Hill to share with legislators.

“These are very important,” he said of Fly-Ins. “When constituents come talk to members of Congress, it makes a difference.”

Graves (R-MO) was one of four public officials who spoke on the first day of the two-day Legislative Briefing & Fly-In. ATSSA members also heard from Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy.

ATSSA’s 2023 Legislative Briefing & Fly-In offers members the opportunity to play a role in advocating for roadway safety at the national level.

This annual event, which is an exclusive member benefit, takes place April 18-19 in Washington, D.C. Members will have the opportunity to deliver roadway safety solutions to the Capitol Hill offices of lawmakers and their staffs, who craft policy that affects the roadway safety infrastructure industry for years to come.

Both House and Senate office buildings are fully open to visitors this year.

The 2023 Legislative Briefing & Fly-In coincides with National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW), which will be held April 17-21 and has the theme, “You play a role in work zone safety. Work With Us.”

ATSSA congratulates Rep. Eric A. “Rick” Crawford, R-Ark., on his selection as chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

“We look forward to working with six-term Congressman Crawford in his new role as chair of this important subcommittee,” ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner said. “Chair Crawford is a veteran of the subcommittee and we look forward to partnering with him in support of the vital work of the roadway safety infrastructure industry and advancing roadway safety across the country. In his new role, Chair Crawford can help save lives on the nation’s roadways.”

Crawford issued the following statement regarding his selection as chair and the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA), which became law in November 2021.

“An efficient and safe highway system is critical to America’s competitiveness in the global economy and a vital component of our national security,” he said. “I look forward to providing vigorous oversight of IIJA to ensure that those funds are spent on projects that are priorities for states and local government.”