News

The National Association of Transportation Safety and Health Officials (NAATSHO) was honored to participate in the U.S. Department of Transportation Roadway Safety Innovation Expo on September 18, 2026, at U.S. DOT Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Representing NAATSHO at the event were Vice President Brian Hurlock of the Connecticut Department of Transportation and Christopher Engelbrecht of the Missouri Department of Transportation. Their participation provided an opportunity for NAATSHO to engage with federal transportation leadership, fellow state DOT professionals, safety practitioners, and industry innovators while exploring technologies and strategies with the potential to advance transportation safety nationwide.

The Roadway Safety Innovation Expo brought together state DOT executives, local transportation leaders, industry representatives, safety professionals, and other stakeholders for a hands-on look at the next generation of roadway safety technology. Exhibits and demonstrations addressed areas including infrastructure and smart work zones, artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, vehicle and crash safety, commercial transportation, emergency response, nighttime visibility, and other emerging applications designed to improve safety across the transportation system.

For NAATSHO, participation in events of this scale provides an important connection between national transportation innovation and the occupational safety and health challenges facing state DOT employees every day.

Transportation employees work alongside live traffic, operate heavy equipment, respond to emergencies, maintain complex infrastructure, and perform critical functions in environments where risks can change quickly. Technologies and practices that improve situational awareness, reduce employee exposure, enhance work zone protection, automate higher-risk activities, or provide better information to workers and supervisors have the potential to directly support NAATSHO’s mission.

The Expo also provided an opportunity to continue strengthening NAATSHO’s relationship with the Federal Highway Administration. NAATSHO greatly appreciated the leadership and collaboration of FHWA Administrator Sean McMaster, Deputy Administrator Jay Payne and the entire FHWA team in bringing together transportation partners around a shared focus on safety and innovation.

Administrator McMaster’s opening remarks emphasizing safety and the continued advancement of transportation innovation closely align with conversations occurring throughout NAATSHO’s membership. As state DOTs face many of the same occupational safety challenges across the country, stronger communication among federal partners, state agencies, research organizations, and industry creates opportunities to identify successful practices and accelerate solutions.

That collaboration is central to NAATSHO’s role as a national organization.

By connecting transportation safety and health professionals across state DOTs, NAATSHO provides a forum for agencies to share lessons learned, discuss emerging risks, evaluate new approaches, and bring successful practices from one state into conversations that can benefit many others. Engagement with federal partners and participation in events such as the Roadway Safety Innovation Expo further expand that exchange by connecting state practitioners directly with developing technologies and national initiatives.

Vice President Hurlock and Engelbrecht will bring information and observations from the Expo back to their respective agencies and the broader NAATSHO community, extending the value of the event beyond those in attendance.

NAATSHO extends its sincere appreciation to the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration for the invitation to participate and for hosting an exceptional event focused on the future of transportation safety.

NAATSHO looks forward to continuing these conversations and strengthening partnerships that help move promising ideas from innovation to implementation. Whether at the federal level, within an individual state DOT, or through collaboration across the NAATSHO network, the objective remains shared: advancing transportation while protecting the employees whose work keeps America’s transportation system operating safely every day.