ATSSA Vice President of Engagement Nate Smith told ATSSA members today that their diligence over the past 15 to 20 years played a significant role in the funding coming to roadway safety under the new infrastructure law.

“You all should pat yourselves on the back,” Smith said during an ATSSA Town Hall to discuss the impact of the bipartisan infrastructure bill that was signed into law on Monday. “This is a job well done.”

The $1.2 trillion measure is a historic investment in transportation funding and includes a 5-year, $304 billion investment in roads and bridges, Smith said. He noted that’s a 34% increase over current spending for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) and translates into $16.8 billion over five years for the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP).

Smith said he’s confident the HSIP funding will mean additional opportunities for ATSSA members.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on Monday announced the release of  responses to three questions regarding testing of roadway safety hardware under the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH), 2016.

The guidance is available online and includes all new and prior questions and answers dating to May 2018.

A joint AASHTO/FHWA technical working group developed the latest responses, which are created to help manufacturers, crash test laboratories and transportation agencies apply the guidelines to roadway safety devices.

The U.S. Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments on Jan. 25 in the case of multiple transportation organizations to block a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) order to redistribute a portion of the safety spectrum.

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) appealed the FCC’s Nov. 18, 2020 order to reallocate a portion of the 5.9 GHz spectrum band to unlicensed uses including WiFi.

The FCC voted unanimously to reallocate more than half of the safety band. The new rules adopted by the FCC make the lower 45 megahertz (MHz) of the spectrum available for unlicensed uses and require Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) licensees to stop using that portion of the spectrum within a year.

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.