Transportation professionals in Texas and across the country are reflecting on the lifetime achievements and visionary guidance of G. Sadler Bridges, who passed away April 16. Bridges’ career spanned five decades and included a pioneering transportation appointment with the Texas governor’s office, accolades from a U.S. vice president and debts of gratitude from numerous colleagues [...]

The managed lanes strategies that maximize existing roadway use and help minimize the need for new construction were first deployed in just four places — two in Texas and two in California. A look at the list today reveals 39 projects nationwide that already exist, are under construction or are in development. More than 816 [...]

Teens in the Driver Seat To address the growing crisis of teen deaths from driving, TTI developed Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS), a peer-to-peer driving safety program unlike any safety program in Texas or the nation. TDS relies upon young drivers themselves to create safety messages and then serve as the messengers to make [...]

Living to tell about it — there’s nothing our researchers take more seriously Nationally, in 2006, there were 5,973,000 police-reported motor vehicle crashes, which killed a total of 42,642 people — 3,475 right here in Texas. Here are some sobering national numbers from 2006: 13,470 people were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes, nearly 32 percent of [...]

Navigating through a construction zone is dicey enough for drivers under the best circumstances, but the stakes rise considerably for pedestrians trying to make their way, even through familiar territory. For visually impaired pedestrians, the challenge can be life threatening. TTI Assistant Research Engineer Brooke Ullman recently undertook a study, sponsored by TxDOT, to find [...]

How do we maximize the transportation system we already have? Through research. For over 20 years, through support from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), multiple states and metropolitan planning organizations, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association and the U.S. Department of Transportation University Transportation Centers Program, the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) has helped [...]

Throughout its history, researchers at the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) have actively participated in the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies and served in leadership positions. This tradition of participation and leadership continues today. TRB is the focal point for transportation research in North America. The mission of TRB is to provide leadership [...]

Between 1953 and 1962, the Texas Highway Department (THD) approved the construction of almost 16,000 miles of highway, bringing the state’s total system to 59,300 miles (more than any other state in the nation), and more than doubling the yearly construction and maintenance budget. Through the Cooperative Research Program and its partnership with THD, the [...]

The morning cell phone beep of an instant message or the chime of an email around quitting time can be a commuter’s best friend when the message is a traffic alert about the drive ahead. That warning — making it possible for you to take an alternate route around a travel snag — can keep [...]

Thanks to research, the toolbox of technologies for transportation decision makers has never been better stocked Rapid, effective deployment of technology seems always at the forefront of modern transportation research. Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers developed some of the first sophisticated and precise computer programs devoted to urban traffic management and the first implemented freeway [...]

Williamson eulogized as “one of a kind” Ric Williamson, chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, was eulogized by Governor Rick Perry and Texas Department of Transportation Executive Director Amadeo Saenz when several hundred people gathered inside the Weatherford High School auditorium for Williamson’s memorial service January 3. Texas Transportation Institute Director Dennis Christiansen and Associate [...]

Technical Reports “Heavy-Duty Flexible Bases: Field Performance and Draft Specifications,” by Tom Scullion, 0-4358-4, February 12, 2008. “Inventory of Utilities – Summary Report,” by Cesar Quiroga, 5-2110-01-4, January 29, 2008. “Hurricane Evacuation Traffic Operations,” by Andy Ballard, 0-4962-1, April 9, 2008. “Crash Testing and Evaluation of F-Shape Barriers on Slopes,” by Nauman Sheikh, 0-5210-3, March [...]

At any given time, 200 students are employed by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). Most of them, either graduate or undergraduate, are working on actual research projects funded by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Federal Highway Administration and research programs administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and other sponsors. TTI supplies the vital [...]