IRF Global R2T Conference

The Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) establishes the testing requirements for roadside/median and work zone safety hardware and devices.  MASH is an AASHTO document and as such is being managed by AASHTO. 
For years, FHWA has written Federal Aid Eligibility Letters for roadside safety hardware.  FHWA has clearly stated that, “Our letters are provided as a service to the States and are not a requirement for roadside safety hardware to be eligible for Federal-aid reimbursement.”  However, almost every US State DOTs and many international road ministries rely on these letters to add products to their Qualified Products List (QPL).  FHWA has announced that they will no longer issue Federal Aid Eligibility Letters for roadside safety hardware after December 31, 2019.  The question now is “so what happens next?”
This extremely important session will provide an update regarding the on-going discussions and negotiations between AASHTO, FHWA, Testing Houses and Private Industry on the implementation of the MASH testing requirements.  The marketplace is filled with rumors and innuendos regarding MASH implementation, and this session is designed to clear up the confusion and to provide clear, positive direction regarding the implementation of MASH for the United States as well as other countries that use MASH as their roadside safety testing criteria.
Presentations will be made by representatives from FHWA (invited), AASHTO (invited), a Testing House and Private Industry, and these will be followed by a panel discussion. Input will be encouraged from the audience to ask any of the questions that remain regarding the implementation of MASH.