Innovation takes center stage as ATSSA showcases the latest roadway safety technology

NEWS RELEASE

Innovation takes center stage as ATSSA showcases the latest roadway safety technology

New Products Rollout for 2026 features 14 entries in competition for Innovation Award

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (Feb. 3, 2026) – The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) announces the lineup for its 2026 New Products Rollout (NPRO), which includes 14 products and takes place Feb. 20-24 in Houston during ATSSA’s 56th Annual Convention & Traffic Expo.

In addition to better physical barriers and devices that speed repetitive work zone tasks, this year’s lineup includes products that use connectivity and artificial intelligence (AI) to rapidly deliver critical worker protection information.

Last year’s Convention drew more than 4,000 roadway safety professionals from across the globe and more than 240 exhibitors for what is the largest exposition of its kind in North America.

NPRO offers visitors a glimpse at some of the latest innovations in the roadway safety infrastructure industry. The products submitted as part of NPRO come from companies in the U.S. and Austria and comprise a wide range of devices designed to save lives on the nation’s roadways.

“The New Products Rollout showcases field-tested solutions that have been designed to address specific problems that impact the safety of roadway workers, motorists and pedestrians, using methods ranging from mechanical innovations to the integration of artificial intelligence into existing devices,” said ATSSA Manager of Innovation & Technical Services Nagham Matout El-Zine. “This is a fascinating lineup that exhibits the cutting edge of how manufacturers are working with public agency officials to advance roadway safety.”

A panel of judges from departments of transportation (DOTs) from throughout the country will judge the products to determine the winner of ATSSA’s coveted Innovation Award and up to three honorable mentions. The Innovation Award winner will be announced on the Traffic Expo floor on Feb. 23 following a New Products Tour in which Convention participants have the opportunity to see each product and learn how it contributes to the industry.

Videos for all products will be available online after the Convention & Traffic Expo.

Participants and products for the 2026 New Products Rollout are:

Company: BAND-IT Idex Inc., Denver, Colo.

Product: Drill Accessory Banding Tool – This tool is designed to assist workers in performing uniform banding for sign and signal installations. The Drill Accessory Banding Tool connects to any standard 18V drill and uses the drill’s torque settings to apply consistent tension to bands used to install traffic signs and other devices. This reduces physical strain, delivers up to 33% tighter tension than manual tools and reduces the time it takes to perform band installations in high-risk road environments.

Benefits:

• Supports consistent application of band tension
• Lowers physical demands associated with manual tightening
• Reduces worker exposure to traffic by shortening banding time

Company: BAND-IT Idex Inc., Denver, Colo.

Product: Tru-Lokt™ Buckle – This buckle is designed to support consistent and secure banding for traffic sign and pole installations by reducing variability in applied tension to secure heavy items in work zones. The TruLokt™ Buckle’s patented wing design provides a visible signal—the buckle’s wing collapses inward—when proper tension is reached, eliminating some of the guesswork that can result in bands being secured at a wide range of tensions. The metal buckle reduces band installation time and improves the reliability of secure banding.

Benefits:

• Provides a clear visual cue to confirm proper tension
• Reduces the chance of band failure from incorrect tensioning
• Shortens time required for field banding tasks

Company: Brightpave Markers, Littleton, Colo.

Product: Brightpave Lane Marker – The Brightpave Lane Marker is a solar-powered LED pavement marker designed to improve lane lines visibility at night and in rain, fog, or snow. The recessed installation design makes these markers plowable, allowing lane visibility to be maintained  in snow conditions. The markers are powered by a lithium-ion battery pack that charges via a solar cell during daylight. The LEDs automatically light up at dusk and turn off at dawn. This marker is designed to improve upon first-generation LED lane markers through greater ease of installation, more intense light and better battery life. The marker also includes additional system capacity with low-powered RF communication to support roadway readiness for autonomous vehicles (AVs).

Benefits:

• Enhances visibility during low‑light and adverse weather conditions
• Maintains visibility in winter through plowable, recessed installation
• Supports autonomous‑vehicle (AV) readiness through RF communication

Company: EYYES, Gedersdorf, Austria

Product: CollisionEye® – CollisionEye® is an AI-based warning system that alerts work zone workers of imminent vehicle intrusions. The system consists of a camera and processing unit that can be mounted on a vehicle positioned behind an active work zone. The camera monitors traffic and its patented algorithm can distinguish moving cars from stationary objects and can detect when a risk of collision exists. When such a risk is detected, the system activates an audible alert (blows a horn) to alert both drivers and work zone workers so that appropriate protective actions can be taken. The system can broadcast a warning up to 10 seconds ahead of a potential crash.

Benefits:

• Provides early audible warnings to help workers move out of harm’s way
• Distinguishes moving vehicles from stationary objects to limit false alerts
• Extends reaction time by identifying risks several seconds before a potential collision

Company: Horizon Signal, Reading, Penn.

Product: Advanced Warning System (AWS) – This portable, trailer-mounted alert system warns motorists when they are approaching slowed or stopped traffic, giving them extra time to slow down safely. The AWS uses sensor carts that can be strategically deployed upstream of a work zone to detect speed reductions or stopped traffic, coupled with trailer-mounted elevated LED beacons positioned farther upstream. When the sensor carts detect a traffic disruption, as indicated by speeds dropping below a preset threshold, they signal the beacons to display a visual signal to motorists that slower traffic lies ahead. This provides a real-time warning to help drivers respond to changing traffic conditions. The AWS incorporates wireless sensing, solar‑powered operation and a heavy‑duty trailer structure rated for sustained 100 mph winds.

Benefits:

• Provides real‑time alerts when upstream traffic slows or stops
• Uses upstream speed detection to activate automatic visual warnings via overhead signals
• Allows flexible placement of sensors and beacons based on field needs

Company: OnStation, Cleveland, Ohio

Product: Active Worksite^TM – Active Worksite, a function of OnStation’s digital stationing platform, is a new feature within the OnStation App that enables roadway workers to notify the traveling public when workers are present in a work zone. When a worker toggles on Active Worksite^TM through a smartphone, drivers receive an alert within their navigation app or connected OEM navigation system. The system provides presence information to help drivers be aware of active work areas. Active Worksite^TM automatically detects workers entering and leaving the work zone, so the public receives real-time, accurate data that is anonymized to maintain individual worker privacy.

Benefits:

• Sends worker presence alerts directly to drivers through navigation platforms
• Provides real‑time automatic detection as workers enter or exit a work zone
• Maintains individual privacy using anonymized data

Company: pi-lit® (Pi Variables Inc.), Orange County, Calif.

Product: Smarter Cone (Second Generation) – Smarter Cone is an internally lit, cloud-connected set of traffic cones that flash in sequence to guide drivers through work zones. The connected devices can be mapped in navigation apps and can provide radio and infrared communication to autonomous vehicles. The product is sold as a plastic enclosure that mounts to the flange of standard traffic cones and comes in sets of 10 or 22 to meet Manual on Uniform Traffic Control (MUTCD) standards for lane closures. The cones can be recharged simultaneously in stacks of 10. (A charger is included.)

Benefits:

• Provides coordinated, sequential lighting to guide drivers through work zones
• Supports navigation app integration and autonomous vehicle (AV) communication
• Mounts on standard cones and charges in stacks for easy field deployment

Company: Plasticade, Des Plaines, Ill.

Product: Hydrocade™ Water Barricade System – This barricade system includes built in connection pin storage to help prevent delays during work zone setup caused by misplaced parts. These barricades are lightweight and easy to transport when empty. Units are stackable for storage and fit 200 units per truckload for easy transport and deployment. This longitudinal channelizing barricade system can conform to roadway curves, curbs and inclines and turn up to 90 degrees. These barricades also accept fence panels. They are crash-tested to TL-3 MASH standards when filled with water.

Benefits:

• MASH-tested TL3 longitudinal channelizing barricade, meeting MUTCD standards
• Reduces setup delays with integrated pin storage and stacking design
• Conforms to roadway curves and inclines for flexible placement

Company: REBLOC, Wilmington, Del.

Product: REBLOC 80SAH – REBLOC 80SAH is a MASH-tested TL3 and TL4 longitudinal portable concrete traffic barrier system with a narrow 11 ¾-inch footprint suitable for high-risk, confined environments such as tunnels and bridges. The barriers come in standard 40-foot segment lengths, with up to 240 feet transportable per truckload, to help speed installation and removal and reduce worker exposure on the roadway. The system can be used as both a free-standing and anchored barrier system and is intended for asphalt and concrete roads. It can be used as a barrier to prevent motorists from leaving the roadway, or as a median barrier to separate travel lanes.

Benefits:

• MASH-tested TL3 and TL4 barrier system longitudinal portable concrete barrier system
• Narrow footprint suitable for confined environments such as tunnels and bridges
• Functions as a free-standing or anchored barrier system on asphalt or concrete roads

Company: Skidabrader Group, Fort Worth, Texas

Product: Work Zone Blank Canvas – Work Zone Blank Canvas is a mechanical process that removes ghost striping, residual markings and pavement scarring that may confuse drivers and reduce safety in work zones. The process uses large-format shotblasting of 550 steel media in 72-inch-wide passes to restore a uniform color and texture across the roadway, on asphalt or concrete surfaces, and to remove surface scarring. The new surface also provides the benefits of added friction and reduced glare. A single Work Zone Blank Canvas machine can complete up to two lane miles within an 8-hour closure window.

Benefits:

• Removes ghost striping and surface scarring to avoid conflicting visual cues for drivers
• Restores uniform pavement color and texture
• Covers large areas efficiently, completing up to two lane‑miles per closure

Company: Traffic Pro Beds, Frederick, Md.

Product: Tire Ring Holder – This collapsible spool for holding traffic barrel tire rings is designed to make the repetitive action of stacking and deploying tire rings faster and less strenuous for workers. The Tire Ring Holder is a metal cube that expands into a three-tiered, height-adjustable tower for storing tire rings. It is forklift-ready for easy transport. The Tire Ring Holder collapses during deployment so workers can easily slide tire rings off the top of the stack and place them on a barrel in the field, minimizing awkward lifts and tire rings catching on a storage barrel.

Benefits:

• Reduces physical strain during tire ring stacking and deployment
• Supports efficient storage and transport with a collapsible, forklift‑ready design
• Improves ergonomics by minimizing lifting effort and range of motion during deployment

Company: Trastar Inc., Richardson, Texas

Product: Edge-Lit Internal Fully Illuminated LED Sign – The Edge-Lit Internal Fully Illuminated LED Sign ensures that traffic signs are fully visible at night and in adverse weather conditions with full sign-face illumination that is controlled by a light sensor that automatically illuminates the sign in the appropriate conditions. Visibility is enhanced further by edge-lit flashers that operate 24/7. Two power options—12 VDC with solar power and battery and 120V AC—enable operation in a variety of traffic control settings. The LED signs have a slim profile of 0.55 inches, making them comparable to traditional traffic signs.

Benefits:

• Ensures full‑face sign visibility in low‑light and adverse weather
• Uses automatic light‑sensor activation for consistent illumination
• Fits standard applications with a thin, low‑profile design

Company: Valtir of Addison, Texas, and Omnisight of Charleston, S.C.

Product: Valtir TMA + Omnisight FusionSensor Work Zone Safety Solution – By pairing Valtir’s truck-mounted attenuators (TMAs) with Omnisight’s FusionSensor technology, the TMA goes from a reactive protection device to a proactive threat detection aid. FusionSensor uses AI-enabled HD3D radar sensors to monitor approaching traffic and analyze for errant drivers and unsafe approach patterns. When the system detects a potential collision, it provides alerts to roadway work zone operators and crews. By using AI video analytics, FusionSensor provides earlier and more accurate threat detection than other legacy systems. FusionSensor is designed for all weather and lighting conditions and can be installed on new or existing TMAs.

Benefits:

• Provides proactive detection of errant or unsafe vehicle patterns
• Delivers alerts to crews using AI‑enabled radar and video analytics
• Operates in all weather and lighting conditions on new or existing TMAs

Company: ViaSight, Saint Louis Park, Minn.

Product: Zone Sure – Zone Sure is an AI-powered work zone auditing platform designed to reduce or eliminate the need for manual field inspections by transportation agencies. The system works through a smartphone mounted to a work vehicle that enables crews to record active work zones while driving through them. The footage goes to ViaSight’s cloud, where computer vision and geospatial AI models detect, classify and measure cones, signs, lane markings and other traffic control devices and cross-check them against regulations to determine compliance. Agencies get an instant picture of the layout of their work zone and can correct issues before they affect safety or mobility.

Benefits:

• Automates work zone audits using AI analysis and cloud‑based detection of cones, signs and lane markings placement
• Interprets placement of detected traffic control devices or markings against MUTCD and regional standards to generate actionable compliance insights.
• Enhances safety and operational readiness for human and autonomous drivers

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