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.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is hosting a webinar on “Maintaining Minimum Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity” to discuss the final rule published in the Federal Register on Aug. 5.

The Sept. 1 webinar starts at 12:30 p.m. ET, is free for the public but requires advance registration.

Organizers said the final rule published on Aug. 5 amends the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), adding provisions for minimum maintained levels of pavement marking retroreflectivity in Revision 3 of the 2009 MUTCD.