ST. PAUL, Minn. – Bernie Arseneau, deputy commissioner and chief engineer with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, has been selected by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to serve on its Standing Committee on Highway Traffic Safety.
Arseneau is one of six transportation officials from around the country joining SCOHTS, which recommends and supports highway safety programs aimed at reducing fatal and serious injury crashes on all highway systems throughout the United States.
“Bernie Arseneau brings an extensive background in safety leadership and innovation to the co mmittee at a time when many traffic safety partners across the nation are taking a multidisciplinary approach to reducing serious crashes,” said Tony Kane, AASHTO director of engineering and technical services and SCOHTS staff liaison.
Arseneau is the co-founder of Minnesota’s Toward Zero Deaths initiative, a multi-agency effort that strives to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes on Minnesota highways. He also has worked closely on several additional efforts to improve traffic safety in Minnesota, including his work with the Federal Highway Administration on developing Minnesota’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan. In addition, Arseneau championed efforts to create Mn/DOT’s Central Safety Fund, which allocates money to county roadway projects, cable median barrier installation and improved speed enforcement.
“I am excited about this opportunity to collaborate with a great group of national partners as we work to improve safety on our nation’s highway system,” Arseneau said.
The six new SCOHTS members will serve their term through October 2015. The committee was founded in 1976 and is currently chaired by Tom Sorel, Mn/DOT commissioner.
For more information on AASHTO’s Standing Committee on Highway Traffic Safety, visit scohts.transportation.org.
For more information about Mn/DOT, visit www.mndot.gov.
