The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has officially opened the registration portal and announced key meeting sessions for its annual Washington Briefing, to be held February 3-6, 2025, at The Westin DC Downtown Hotel in Washington, D.C. Click here to register.
[Above image by AASHTO]
This annual legislative meeting gives attendees the opportunity to collaborate with transportation leaders from state departments of transportation, members of Congress, federal transportation officials, and other industry experts on a range of current and future policy matters.
The 2025 Washington Briefing will focus on how state DOTs will partner with President Trump’s administration and the 119th Congress on building momentum for federal surface transportation reauthorization.
The meeting will also highlight the successes of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA in informing future transportation investments.
The Washington Briefing will also feature several panels discussions and two “Knowledge Sessions” that offer deep dives into major industry topics. They include:
- Centering Safety: Prioritizing Safer Communities, Users, and Workers: Garrett Eucalitto, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation and AASHTO president for 2024-2025, will also elaborate on the details of his emphasis areas at this session; presenting different perspectives from several transportation disciplines that contribute to a safe transportation system for all. The panel discussion at this session – moderated by Eucalitto – will focus on what is driving higher numbers of roadway fatalities; the opportunities for state DOTs to work with public health, public safety, local agency, and other crucial sectors; and the role of agency leadership in these collaborations.
- Building Trust and Awareness through Meaningful Public Engagement: States across the country are finding new ways to connect with customers to establish meaningful, equitable, and inclusive involvement all stages of project development with often hard-to-reach audiences. Exploring such innovative public engagement strategies can help lead to better projects that work for more people and stronger support. This session will explore best practices from state DOTs to ensure successful public involvement and highlight the effectiveness of these approaches.
- Who You Gonna Call? Coordinating Rapid Response and Resilience Resources Across States: As natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and wildfires increase in frequency and intensity, state DOTs face unprecedented challenges in constructing and maintaining a resilient transportation system. States also face a variety of devastating human caused incidents and compounding events that demand rapid response. This panel will cover cooperative strategies for rapid response and recovery, focusing on interstate resilience utilizing hazard mitigation planning, risk and vulnerability assessments, data sharing, and collaborative “priority-setting” efforts.
The conference will also examine closeout of fiscal year 2025 appropriations as well as “budget reconciliation” that may bring significant spending and tax changes throughout the federal government.
To register for the 2025 Washington Briefing, click here
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