ATSSA Town Hall on Buy America guidelines set for Sept. 7 ATSSA Town Hall on Buy America guidelines set for Sept. 7 Virtual event will offer insights to help members prepare for enactment Pam / Wednesday, August 30, 2023 0 4041 Article rating: No rating Get ready for enactment of the new Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) guidelines by attending ATSSA’s free virtual Town Hall on Sept. 7. Speakers will address questions on the recently released guidance for the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA). The virtual Town Hall panel will include ATSSA Director of Federal Government Relations Cameron Greene and Kathy Ruffalo, president of Ruffalo & Associates, a Washington-based advocacy and consulting firm. Ruffalo has significant transportation and infrastructure experience at both the federal and state levels. Registration is now open. Read more
Final ‘Buy America’ guideline published, starting 60-day clock to enactment Final ‘Buy America’ guideline published, starting 60-day clock to enactment Pam / Thursday, August 24, 2023 0 5402 Article rating: No rating The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on Wednesday published the final guideline for the Build America, Buy America Act, starting a 60-day countdown to its enactment. Included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), this expansion of the Buy America program led to the inclusion of a number of materials and products used and manufactured by ATSSA members. ATSSA’s Government Relations Team provides a summary of the most important sections of the 162-page guidance and will continue to update ATSSA members as more information becomes available. ATSSA also will be holding a virtual town hall on this topic on Sept. 7. Read more
ATSSA & NCUTCD urge publication of MUTCD without delay ATSSA & NCUTCD urge publication of MUTCD without delay Committee votes today for publication without incorporating PROWAG Pam / Friday, August 11, 2023 0 4434 Article rating: 4.0 The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD) passed a resolution today recommending the final rule on the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) not be delayed to address this week’s issuance of a final rule for pedestrian accessibility issues. The U.S. Access Board on Tuesday issued its final rule providing minimum guidelines for accessibility of pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way, known as PROWAG. On May 2, ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner 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, which was May 15. ATSSA voted in favor of today’s resolution passed by the NCUTCD. Read more
Integrating wildlife patterns into roadway plans helps save lives Integrating wildlife patterns into roadway plans helps save lives Summer issue of Roadway Safety magazine explores this lifesaving strategy Pam / Wednesday, August 9, 2023 0 3130 Article rating: 4.8 With elk, mule deer and pronghorn antelope among the many animals trekking across Wyoming, the state’s Department of Transportation knows the importance of being attuned to their daily movements and seasonal migrations. That information is factored into new road projects to help save the lives of both humans and animals. The Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program included as part of the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) is a new source of funding available to aid such mitigation efforts. The Summer issue of ATSSA’s Roadway Safety magazine, now available online, lays out the cost of human-animal collisions across the nation and examines the details of the program to help members understand how they can become involved. Check out this article and more in the latest issue of Roadway Safety magazine. Read more
Final rule issued for accessibility of pedestrian facilities in public right-of-way Final rule issued for accessibility of pedestrian facilities in public right-of-way Pam / Tuesday, August 8, 2023 0 2307 Article rating: 4.0 The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) today issued its final rule providing minimum guidelines for accessibility of pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way, known as PROWAG. These final guidelines have been long awaited, in particular by state and local governments that have sought them for more than 30 years. The final rule for PROWAG was published in the Federal Register and is effective Sept. 7. Once adopted, the guidelines “would ensure that facilities used by pedestrians, such as sidewalks and crosswalks, constructed or altered in the public right-of-way by federal, state, and local governments are readily accessible to and usable by pedestrians with disabilities,” according to the posting. Read more