ATSSA Signal July/August 2018

Innovation & New Programs The Task Force 13 (TF13) 2018 Spring Meeting was held in April in Lincoln, Ne- braska, following the Midwest Pooled Fund Program, which allows Depart- ments of Transportation (DOTs), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) divisions, and other entities to pool resources to reach shared goals within the transpor- tation industry. The joint meeting kicked off with a crash test (the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) Test No. 3-30 into Three BeamBullnose System) at the Mid- west Roadside Safety Facility. The crash test preceded panel discussions on top- ics related to the roadway safety indus- try and state DOTs. “The joint meeting is a prime opportuni- ty to increase communication and sup- port collaborative efforts between var- ious public agencies and private entities within the roadway safety and infra- structure industry,” said ATSSA Senior Technical Advisor Eric Perry. “Addition- ally, it allows industry professionals to share information and address high pri- orities to increase safety for roadway users.” Perry, who participated on two panels, answered questions about state DOT training requirements for MASH prod- ucts and on the potential standardiza- tion of Qualified Products List/Approved Products List (QPL/APL) process from state to state. “Standardization of MASH testing and approval of roadway products is one example of how the roadway safety in- dustry can come together to increase uniformity across the United States,” Perry said. “This is where the ground- work is laid to dig deeper into common- place issues and ultimately advance roadway safety.” Steve Conway of Nucor Steel Marion, Inc. also discussed the cost implications of the testing that is required by MASH on all devices and configurations. Following the joint meeting, TF13 met to discuss current issues regarding road- side safety hardware. The meeting fo- cused on subcommittees that concen- trate on specific roadside issues, which include: • Publications maintenance • Barrier hardware review groups • Bridge railing and transition hardware • Drainage hardware • Sign, luminaire and traffic signal support hardware • Work zone hardware • Certification of test facilities • Rail highway crossing hardware • Marketing • Computational mechanics • Delineation Task Force 13 holds 2018 Spring Meeting American Traffic Safety Services Association 14