Technical Reports “Analysis and Integration of Spatial Data for Transportation Planning,” by Stephen Sebesta, 0-6071-1, September 15, 2009. “Assessment of a Traffic Monitoring System for a Major Traffic Generator to Improve Regional Planning: Technical Report,” by Todd Carlson, 0-5531-2, November 4, 2009. “Capacity and Road User Cost Analysis of Selected Freeway Work Zones in Texas,” [...]
Awards and More
Spiegelman Named Distinguished Professor Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Senior Research Scientist Clifford Spiegelman has been appointed Distinguished Professor of Statistics at Texas A&M University’s College of Science. The title of Distinguished Professor is reserved for faculty who are recognized by their peers as being among the top 5 percent in their fields worldwide. Currently, there [...]
Short Course Focuses on TxDOT Challenges, Changes
“We can do more” was the theme that emerged during the opening session of the 83rd Annual Transportation Short Course at Texas A&M University Oct. 13. The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT‘s) annual gathering attracted 2,000 participants. Short Course is co-sponsored by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) and this year celebrated the Institute’s 60-year relationship [...]
Using Dirt to Clean Water: Bioretention Improves Runoff Quality
It’s every kid’s dream — that playing in dirt could make you cleaner than the dreaded bath time. But one Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) project is using soil and plants together to clean storm water runoff before it returns to the main water supply. As storm water washes down an embankment, it carries with it [...]
Drive-In Environmental Research Chamber: New TTI testing facility expected to open new doors for research
At the Texas A&M University Riverside Campus in Bryan, Texas, workers have completed the finishing touches on another in a line of world-class testing centers offered by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) to its sponsors. The Drive-In Environmental Research Chamber, which opens in January 2010, is the largest of its kind in the country. The [...]
Drive Clean Across Texas — A Success Story
Think back roughly eight years ago — where were you? Some that were graduating high school are now out of college and in the work force, and fifth graders at that time are now in college. The Drive Clean Across Texas (DCAT) campaign was in its infancy then but now stands as an award-winning education [...]
NOW: Testing 21st Century Sediment Control Devices
In 2010, Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers will enter the second phase of a project for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Maintenance Division to develop an Approved Products List (APL) for sediment control devices. Sediment runoff from construction sites is now the number one pollutant of our waterways, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. [...]
THEN: Best Practices for Growing Grasses on Right of Way Are Determined
(Excerpt from Texas Transportation Researcher, October 1967) Best cultural methods to give an ideal stand of grass for erosion control along the highway have been determined by Dr. Wayne McCully and Mr. William J. Bowmer in research of the Texas Transportation Institute sponsored by the Texas Highway Department with the Bureau of Public Roads. Establishing [...]
It’s Not Easy Being Green—But It’s Worth the Effort
It used to be that the solution to practically every transportation problem was to build, build, build. As more drivers took to the road, testing the system’s limits, we mainly added more capacity to address those needs. Some good things came out of this approach, notably the Interstate Highway System, which encouraged urbanization and spurred [...]
10 Ways TTI Initiatives Support the Environment
Vegetation Management The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) conducts research into various roadside applications to provide sponsors with a more diverse set of tools and options to ensure a more sustainable roadside environment. Areas researched include water harvesting applications, grass communities and their successional processes, improved vegetation through soil restoration using compost and other organic materials, [...]
TTI Brings the Green Indoors
The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) is known for leading the charge in solving all types of transportation problems. Over the last few years, TTI has developed a reputation as an environmentally conscious organization — and not just through its “green” research. In 2005, the agency implemented its Energy Management and Conservation Plan, which guides the [...]
Enhancing Transportation in National Parks and Gateway Communities
Since they preserve the country’s natural beauty and heritage, many people would agree with Director Ken Burns that the National Parks are “America’s Best Idea.” The parks and their nearby communities — called gateway communities — have a symbiotic relationship. The communities rely heavily on tourist dollars generated by the parks, while the parks depend [...]
TTI MOVES Emissions Estimates Forward
Change can be difficult…but it doesn’t have to be. Given that we live in the Information Age, change involving software can be the most painful of all — just ask Microsoft. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses software to enforce the Clean Air Act, which restricts certain pollutants found in urban areas with heavy traffic. [...]
