ATSSA’s Annual Report for 2022 is now available online and details the ways the Association spent the year “Connecting & Collaborating” to advance roadway safety.

The report recalls the highlights of a year in which the roadway safety infrastructure industry reunited in Tampa, Fla., for ATSSA’s 52^nd Annual Convention & Traffic Expo after a pause on an in-person event.

The connections made and advanced there helped carry members through the challenges of inflation and supply chains, proving the benefit of networking at this annual event. Collaboration continued throughout the year as members held events to mark National Work Zone Awareness Week in April and gathered in the nation’s capital in June to take the roadway safety message directly to federal legislators during the Legislative Briefing & Fly-In. The Midyear Meeting in Rhode Island in August provided another opportunity to connect and collaborate on solving industry issues. And throughout 2022, ATSSA’s 28 chapters gathered for 83 meetings and events.

Read full details of the past year in ATSSA's Annual Report 2022: Connecting & Collaborating.

ATSSA’s Corporate Training Program has always offered the benefits of developing staff who can deliver high quality training at a company’s site and on its schedule. But with recent changes to the program, the skills of the instructors will be even stronger, ATSSA Training Program Manager Jessica Scheyder said.

The Corporate Training Program, also referred to as CTP, gives companies the opportunity to have an in-house trainer who can meet ongoing needs as staffing changes or personnel switch positions. With the revised program, that person will not only develop stronger skills but also leave with greater confidence.

“We reviewed all of the steps involved in the Corporate Training Program and have revised it from the application process through completion of training,” Scheyder said. “We saw a need to give developing instructors better support and guidance and have taken steps to achieve that.

“Our aim is to see CTP students succeed, which is why we are making an even greater investment in them as they go through training.”

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.”

What issues are front of mind as ATSSA members contemplate 2023? What variables are being used to gauge how things will go in the long-term? What opportunities are on the horizon that are building excitement?

ATSSA asked four members who are leaders in different segments of the roadway safety infrastructure industry for their views on those questions and more for the Winter issue of Roadway Safety magazine, which is online today. Read what they had to say and see how their views compare to your own.

The Winter issue also explores rural road safety solutions, the importance of keeping workers from being distracted on the job, where wider pavement markings are being utilized and much more.

ATSSA’s redesigned and updated Training & Products Catalog is now available online.

“The ATSSA Training & Products Catalog is a valuable tool for our members and anyone in the roadway safety industry in need of training to operate effectively in work zones and elsewhere,” said ATSSA Training Program Manager Jessica Scheyder. “The catalog also includes information on the benefits of ATSSA membership, the Corporate Training Program, certification and recertification, courses offered through grants and the Online Training Library.”

ATSSA joined 17 organizations today in asking Federal Highway Administration Administrator Shailen Bhatt to rescind the “Policy on Using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Resources to Build a Better America” memorandum that was issued Dec. 16, 2021.

The groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, noted they supported the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) passed in November 2021 and that it was a “carefully negotiated and balanced package of policy reforms and targeted national investments” to make the lives of Americans better.

The issue leading to the request for the policy to be rescinded was that the Dec. 16 memo “elicited significant confusion within the transportation community.” Further, the letter states that the memo was “intended to serve as an overarching policy framework that prioritizes IIJA resources towards certain projects, which was inconsistent with what was laid out under the legislation President Biden signed into law the month before.”

ATSSA will hold its first Roadway Safety Forum: East Coast in Richmond, Va., May 16-18.

Registration opens Tuesday (Jan. 17) afternoon for this pilot event, which features a mix of opportunities to target regional issues in the roadway safety industry. The three-day event includes general sessions, educational breakout sessions, networking opportunities and exhibits.

The Virginia, Carolinas and Chesapeake ATSSA Chapters are guiding the educational content of this conference, which addresses roadway safety infrastructure issues identified by chapter members. Anyone wishing to suggest a topic or who is interested in presenting should contact Director of Member Engagement Pamala Bouchard. 

Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarships can fuel the journey to dreams fulfilled for students who lost a parent or had one permanently disabled due to a work zone incident.

The ATSS Foundation offers two scholarships for the loved ones following a work zone tragedy.

The Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship Program offers dependents of the workers—both children and spouses—an opportunity to continue pursuing their academic dreams beyond high school. This competitive program offers up to $10,000 for an academic year. Applicants who demonstrate a strong commitment to volunteerism may be eligible to receive an additional $1,000 in honor of Chuck Bailey, who was an esteemed member of the roadway safety industry.

Applications are due by Feb. 15 for the 2023-24 academic year.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (Jan. 11, 2023) – ATSSA in partnership with the National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board (TRB), announces the winners of the 2023 Traffic Control Device (TCD) Student Challenge.

Ten teams, made up primarily of engineering students from universities across the U.S., competed in the TCD Student Challenge, which was titled, “Innovative Traffic Control Devices to Improve Vulnerable Road User Safety.”

The team from Arlington High School in Arlington, Mass., won the contest and was the first high school team in the history of the TCD Student Challenge to achieve that honor. The other winners are from Auburn and Michigan State.

ATSSA congratulates Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) on being chosen to chair the Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee in the 118^th Congress.

“ATSSA members have counted Chairman Graves as a roadway safety leader throughout his tenure on the T&I Committee and we look forward to his continued emphasis on this critical issue now that he is chair,” ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner said. “We are eager to work with him and his committee staff in the months and years ahead to ensure that roadway safety remains the top priority for Congress and the Biden administration.”

Graves’ selection was announced by the committee today. He confirmed his priority for roadway safety and infrastructure in his comments included with the announcement.