FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (April 22, 2021) – More than 100 ATSSA members from across the country gathered this week for ATSSA’s annual Legislative Briefing & Fly-In, which provides members an opportunity to hear directly from transportation leaders and share their priorities with members of Congress and their staff.

ATSSA members voice their roadway safety infrastructure concerns and deliver their insights directly to the people engaged in policy and funding. The two-day event, held April 21 and 22, took place online for the second straight year due to the pandemic.

This year saw record-breaking participation with registration totaling 104 people representing 28 states and Washington, D.C. ATSSA’s Government Relations Team scheduled more than 60 meetings with Congressional offices, which are taking place throughout the day.

Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) introduced H.R. 2481, the High Risk Rural Roads Safety Grant Program Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bipartisan proposal, which is strongly supported by ATSSA, would direct federal roadway safety infrastructure funds to locally owned rural roads.

The fatality rate on rural roads is two times greater than on non-rural roads, according to U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) statistics. Additionally, local governments generally do not have the resources needed to make critical, lifesaving roadway safety infrastructure investments.

H.R. 2481 would create a $600 million competitive grant program that local governments could apply for, with the federal grant being funded at 100%. A specific $100 million set-aside is also included for tribal road safety.

In addition to ATSSA, the American Highway Users Alliance, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), National Association of Counties (NACo), National Association of County Engineers (NACE) and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) endorsed the legislation.

The Senate today confirmed Polly Tottenberg as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).

Trottenberg previously served as New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner, and prior to that, was Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy during the Obama Administration.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner congratulated Trottenberg on her confirmation.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner today sent a letter to the heads of state Departments of Transportation requesting assistance in light of the current shortage of base resin.

Two major manufacturers of base resin are currently unable to provide the substance used in High Friction Surface Treatment applications due to circumstances beyond their control, Tetschner explains in the letter. He notes that the issue is related to February’s extreme weather events in the Midwest and Texas.

“With US-based materials supply limited, increased costs over the last several months, and a significant delay in shipping overseas materials to the United States, it is likely that some already agreed upon supply contract deadlines will be impacted,” Tetschner states in today’s letter to DOT secretaries across the country.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetchner’s second podcast on “Down with the Dig” is live today. Listen to Tetschner discuss ATSSA’s recent Convention & Traffic Expo and provide a preview of this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week.

National Work Zone Awareness Week is April 26-30 with a kickoff event in Michigan on April 27.

Down with the Dig hosts discuss safety, technology and legislation issues related to the Ohio Valley Region with their guests.

The new ATSSA podcast discussion of smart work zones and the 2021 Convention & Traffic Expo, which included a Roadway Worker Protection Summit, a Workforce Development Open Forum and dozens of education sessions.

ATSSA’s 51^st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo just wrapped up eight days filled with industry information and plentiful opportunities to interact with experts and innovators in the roadway safety industry.

The fully online event drew attendance from every state in the U.S. and Washington, D.C., plus an international contingent representing Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Spain and the United Kingdom. In addition, department of transportation (DOT) officials taking part represented 43 states, Washington, D.C., Canada and Spain.

People who registered for the event have until April 9 to watch all of the sessions again or see anything they missed. Anyone who was unable to attend over the past two weeks can register now to see all of the sessions, visit exhibits and earn continuing education credits. 

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner will be the guest on Transport Topics Radio this Saturday to discuss roadway safety and ATSSA’s 51st Annual Convention & Traffic Expo, which started on Monday and continues through next Thursday.

The program initially airs at 1 p.m. Saturday and will be rebroadcast three times over the weekend.

Transport Topics Radio is hosted by Dan Ronan, who chats weekly with experts from government, business, logistics and other sectors of the transportation industry.

ATSSA’s Annual Report for 2020 is now available online. This year’s theme is “A Year of Transitions” and lays out the many achievements that took place across the Association in a historic year.

The report opens with a letter from President & CEO Stacy Tetschner who arrived at ATSSA just before the global pandemic forced staff to begin working from home.

The Association kicked off 2020 with a 50^th anniversary celebration at its Annual Convention & Traffic Expo held in New Orleans. There members said their farewells to President & CEO Roger Wentz who retired after 22 years.

The Senate today confirmed former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg as Secretary of Transportation, adding him to the cabinet of President Joe Biden.

Buttigieg campaigned on the need for transportation and infrastructure investment throughout his bid to become the Democrats’ nominee for president. During his hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee last month, he touched on the need for shoring up revenue for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), increased investment in tribal and rural roads, the future of autonomous vehicles and the need for safety to be at the forefront of any new transportation or infrastructure initiative.

The Senate Commerce Committee forwarded his nomination to the full Senate on Wednesday by a 21-3 vote.

The full Senate confirmed Buttigieg’s nomination by a vote of 86-13.

ATSSA’s 2021 Convention & Traffic Expo is nearly here and final touches are being put in place. For people who have never had the opportunity to attend, this year’s event is fully online so it’s the perfect opportunity to find out what you’ve been missing and take in activities that are new this year.

Registration is open for the event that runs Feb. 8-12 and 16-18. Check out the full schedule that includes two general sessions packed with panels addressing key industry information. Plus, nearly 50 education sessions await on topics from addressing personnel challenges to the latest on technology issues including connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) and pavement markings.

Attendees can also take part in as many as six discussions with their colleagues about the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) in the Conversation Lounge within the online platform.