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American Traffic Safety Services Association
ATSSA MEMBER COMPANY &
PUBLIC AGENCY NEWS
ATSSA receives $2.5 million in
grant funds for training
The association received $2.5 million in funding
from the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA)
Work Zone Safety Training grant. As the roadway
industry’s superior work zone safety association,
ATSSA’s newest grant funding includes
opportunities for more than 300 Work Zone Safety
Training courses over a five-year period. ATSSA
also received grant funding in 2006, 2011, 2013.
ATSSA’s Work Zone Safety Grant courses include:
• Traffic Control Technician
• Traffic Control Supervisor
• Flagger Instructor Training
• Traffic Control Design Specialist
• Designing Temporary Traffic Control Zones for
Pedestrian Accessibility (PED)
• Developing and Implementing Successful
Transportation Management Plans (TMP)
• Maintenance and Short Duration Activities
(MSDA)
• Minimizing Worker Exposure in Highway Work
Zones Through the Use of Positive Protection
and Other Strategies (PP)
• Smarter Work Zone Intelligent Transportation
Systems (SWZ)
• Urban Work Zone Design (UWZD)
• Work Zone Data Collection (WZDC)
• Work Zone Road Safety Audits (WZRSA)
• Work Zone Strategies (WZS)
• Work Zone Traffic Impact Analysis (WZTIA)
The courses will be offered throughout the country
at no cost to public transportation agency
employees, including state departments of
transportation and local transportation
municipalities. Private entities, such as
contractors and engineering firms, will be charged
$25 for training.
With an unprecedented and historic 1,073 active transportation projects all
across the state, Maryland is proud to lead the 2017 observance of National
Work Zone Awareness Week. This year’s theme—Work Zone Safety is in Your
Hands: Drive Toward Zero Crashes—joins work zone safety in the nation’s
overall appeal for traffic safety seen in the “Toward Zero Fatalities/Vision
Zero” efforts. At the end of the day, we want every worker and driver to return
home safely.
On April 4, where the Randolph Road and Georgia Avenue interchange project
is currently underway, Maryland will proudly lead the country in the
observance of National Work Zone Awareness Week. At the press conference,
officials will kick off the official start of the active construction season and
issue a plea to drivers: Slow down and stay alert in work zones.
“Everyone—workers and drivers alike—are threatened by speeding and
inattentive drivers in construction work zones where there is very little to no
margin for error,” said Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway
Administrator Greg Johnson, P.E. “Maryland means business when it comes to
fixing our roadways and keeping customers and workers safe. It is a privilege
to lead the national conversation, one that will take place this week and
continue throughout the year.”
Laurie Moser, a Maryland work zone safety advocate who has attended several
national work zone press conferences, knows all too well the dangers of work
zones. In 2007, an errant driver struck and killed her husband, Rick Moser, a
21-year veteran of the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA).
“This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Rick’s death, so that this year’s
national observation in Maryland is very meaningful to my family,” said Mrs.
Moser. “From the national spotlight to grassroots efforts here in our hometown,
I’m glad to be part of this effort that will raise awareness and make work zones
safer for families everywhere.”
Maryland is a proud partner in National Work Zone Awareness Week,
observed and organized each spring by the Federal Highway Administration,
the American Traffic Safety Services Association, the American Association of
State Highway and Transportation Officials, together with Maryland, Virginia,
and Washington, D.C.
A special Project Orange effort, in which advocates and partners “go orange” in
support of work zone safety, social media, web banners, radio public service
announcements, an e-brochure “Road Ready,” and other education efforts will
remind Maryland and regional motorists of the work zone safety message. For
more information on work zone safety awareness, visit SHA’s website at
www.roads.maryland.gov and click on the work zone safety banner
Maryland will host 2017 National Work Zone
Awareness Week
By Lora Rakowski, Maryland State Highway Administration Public Affairs