The ATSSA Midyear Meeting is scheduled for Aug. 22-25 in St. Louis to bring ATSSA members together to network and discuss critical issues to advance roadway safety.
When you arrive in St. Louis’ Lambert Field International Airport, shuttle service to the host hotel is available near the carousel at baggage claim area 2. The cost for the shuttle is $10 per person one way. Travel time is approximately 40 minutes, but be aware, this is not a direct trip. The shuttle stops at several hotels along the way. Return shuttle service also is available from the hotel to the airport, or if you choose, the one-way taxi fare between the airport and the hotel is approximately $20.
Lodging for the meeting has been established at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis, located in the heart of the city at One St. Louis Union Station. This recently renovated hotel is a large complex that contains retail shops, restaurants and entertainment. The MetroLink Light Rail to the Gateway Arch, Busch Stadium and the airport also is conveniently located nearby.
There are several openings still available for those who wish to participate in a golf outing on Aug. 23 to benefit ATSSA’s Roadway Safety Advancement Fund (RSAF). The RSAF supports and implements proactive initiatives to educate the public and elected officials on various roadway safety and funding issues. Additionally, the RSAF provides ATSSA with "quick-strike" resources when combating policies that hurt the roadway safety industry and ultimately cost lives.
The golf outing will be held at the Missouri Bluffs Golf Course in St. Charles.
In addition to great networking opportunities with peers in the roadway safety industry, the technical committees will meet in St. Louis to discuss guardrail, intelligent transportation systems, NTPEP, pavement markings, signing and temporary traffic control issues. Also scheduled are discussions on e-commerce, government relations and training for work-zone workers and supervisors. Additionally, all ATSSA committee meetings are considered "open." Therefore, visitors to these meetings are always welcome.
Report to ATSSA
The last time the committees met officially was in February at the Convention and Traffic Expo in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. During those meetings, ATSSA’s President-elect Kathi Holst suggested that the Safety Committee lead a task force to examine an important OSHA moving vehicles issue in which citations are being issued by OSHA in work zones based on references and information contained in former editions of the MUTCD.
Following Holst’s discussion, and approval by the Operating Committee to proceed on Feb. 20, the Safety Committee took the administrative lead of the task force to explore possible solutions to alleviate these citations. The Pavement Marking Committee and the Temporary Traffic Control Committee also formed similar task forces for the purpose of developing a "best practices" document regarding this issue. A conference call was held in July to discuss this topic, and the three-committee task forces will discuss the outcome of that discussion in St. Louis.
The Safety Committee Lead Task Force is made up of Tom Rodenkirch (chair), Doug Bernard and Gary Thompson.
Also in Ft. Lauderdale, the Sign Committee formed two subcommittees and three task forces, all of which are scheduled to report on their progress in St. Louis.
Subcommittees were created to monitor errata and proposed changes to the Millennium Edition MUTCD to help identify marketplace growth opportunities and to educate SMD members how to utilize TEA-21 funding for signing opportunities.
The Sign Committee task force objectives were to accelerate mandatory compliance to selected MUTCD standards and market and sell the "Sign Installation and Inspection Course."
The Pavement Marking Committee appointed Brad Meyer to work with the ATSSA staff to amend the current DOT Pavement Marking Exemption, identifying chemicals that are transported on trucks and to examine ways to increase tank sizes on the trucks that carry those materials.
The Pavement Marking Committee task forces also will discuss construction laws that relate to hours of service in efforts to obtain an exemption for the pavement marking industry by either proposing a new law or modifying existing ones. Karen Bornstine and Curt Larson will lead a discussion on examining ways to update the "Stripers Survival Guide" training video.
A Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) task force chaired by Henry Ross was formed in Ft. Lauderdale to assist the FHWA in updating future editions of the MUTCD. The National Committee is still considered the main source for comments. However, the FHWA requested additional input from this committee’s task force.
A separate TTC task force chaired by Keith Callaway will meet in July to review the TTC’s strategic plan. The task force will discuss the outcome of that meeting in St. Louis. The TTC also appointed three separate task forces to review several TTC-ATSSA research topics with interim reports expected by midyear.
The Guardrail Committee is busy in the development stages of an all-new "Guardrail Installation Training Course," with plans to debut the test course in Tennessee in November.
The Education Committee also is working on developing a new "Traffic Control Design Specialist Training Course," with plans to hold the first course in Dallas at the 2002 Convention and Traffic Expo.
Registration for this event can be accomplished online (www.atssa.com) where complete schedules and other information are located at the "2001 Midyear Meeting" link. Members without Internet access can call 800/272-8772.
