Roadway Safety magazine’s Winter issue looks at supply chain issues and includes insights from ATSSA members as they grappled with the challenge over the past year.

The issue is now available online and also explores variable speed limit zones in place across the country and what different jurisdictions found as far as advantages and challenges.

You can also gain insights from outgoing ATSSA Board Chair Greg Driskell and get a peek into the perspective of incoming Chair Jeff Johnson.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (Feb. 8, 2022) – Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed today that he will deliver keynote remarks at ATSSA’s 52^nd Annual Convention & Traffic Expo.

Buttigieg is expected to discuss the National Roadway Safety Strategy released Jan. 27 by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) as well as provide insights into the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) and its impact on roadway safety.

“We are honored that Transportation Secretary Buttigieg is making the time to address our members and we look forward to hearing his insights pertaining to roadway safety and how our industry can partner with USDOT to dramatically reduce roadway fatalities,” said ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner.

The National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) unveiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) on Thursday focuses on moving the U.S. towards zero roadway deaths by taking a safe systems approach that includes six central themes.

The themes laid out are that: deaths and serious injuries are unacceptable; human mistakes are inevitable; humans are vulnerable to injury and death; there is a shared responsibility for these incidents; safety can be and should be proactive; and redundancy is critical. The strategy introduced by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also focuses on five safety issues.

“ATSSA applauds Secretary Buttigieg on the release of the first National Roadway Safety Strategy, especially with its call for the enhanced protection of roadway construction workers," ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner said. "Shining a brighter spotlight on the need to dramatically reduce roadway fatalities is critically necessary.”

ATSSA is one of 19 organizations asking Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to clarify that American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds can be used to help subcontractors and suppliers that are struggling due to supply chain issues brought on by the pandemic.

“At this critical time, as Congress has passed the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that will provide impactful infrastructure investment to the nation, we request relief for government agencies and businesses who have and continue to face unprecedented pandemic-induced supply chain delays and shortages that may undercut the anticipated benefits of the IIJA investment,” according to the letter sent to Yellen on Monday.

ATSSA, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the American Road &Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) led the effort that was joined by 15 other organizations.

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 President & CEO Stacy Tetschner released a statement this morning regarding the failure of the House of Representatives to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

“The inability of the House of Representatives to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is deeply disappointing,” he said. “While the passage of a short-term extension of the current highway authorization will allow for critical work to continue such as the lifesaving projects carried out by ATSSA members, the lack of passage of a long-term and robust infrastructure package should be considered a failure.

The House had been expected to vote for the IIJA on Thursday. The Senate had passed it in August. Instead, the House still hasn’t voted and it allowed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act to expire Thursday night.

Both chambers of Congress have now approved a 30-day extension of the surface transportation funding, which ensures the Highway Trust Fund can remain solvent and prevents any disruption to current projects.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner posted an open letter to the House of Representatives today urging them to vote yes on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Tetschner noted that the nation’s infrastructure is “in dire need of significant rebuilding” and that now is “not the time to delay passing the most comprehensive and historic investment in our infrastructure and safety since the 1950s.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday that the House would vote on the IIJA on Thursday but debates were continuing today.

ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner sent a letter this afternoon to the directors of every state department of transportation (DOT) to update them on the ongoing challenges facing members of the roadway safety infrastructure industry due to a shortfall in material supplies.

The latest resource severely cut was oxygen, which is needed to make glass beads that are used in pavement marking applications.

“Our members’ supply of oxygen has been cut by 70% in some areas and 100% in others because of the significant escalation of hospitalizations due to the spread of COVID-19 variants and the national trend of oxygen producers realigning the supply of oxygen from industrial customers to critical medical needs to combat the national pandemic,” Tetschner said in today’s letter.

Nearly 90% of ATSSA manufacturers and suppliers reported experiencing a shortage of raw materials needed to produce roadway safety products, according to an ATSSA survey this summer.

That percentage increased from 75% when those same members were surveyed in March, according to data assembled by ATSSA.

ATSSA surveyed its members after hearing that limited supplies of materials were impacting the work of the roadway safety infrastructure industry. Multiple factors were leading to the supply challenges: extreme weather in February in the Midwest and Texas, the effects of COVID-19 in the U.S. and delays in the supply line due to international shipping.

Senate action Wednesday night on a bipartisan infrastructure package starts the clock on the issue but a final vote on the Senate floor could be at least a week away.

The Senate voted 67-32 Wednesday night to proceed to debate on the bipartisan infrastructure package that has been agreed to by a group of 22 Republican and Democrat senators, known as the G-22. Seventeen Republican senators voted to advance the measure. The Biden administration also supported it.

If passed, the legislation would then head to the House, where members of both parties have expressed concerns with the package as constructed.