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Center for Ports & Waterways

Description

Seaports and inland waterways play a vital role in the economy of Texas. With eleven deepwater seaports and more than 1,000 miles of inland waterways, these international gateways account for more than 17 percent of Texas' gross state product, making it one of the country's largest maritime states. The Texas Marine Transportation System is just one component of the national system comprising 1,000 harbor channels; 25,000 miles of inland, intracoastal, and coastal waterways; and 3,700 terminals that handle passenger and cargo movements. This system connects with 152,000 miles of rail, 460,000 miles of pipelines, and 45,000 miles of interstate highways. These elements are all tightly interwoven; developments in one part of the system could easily affect another part of the system located hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

To help preserve this vital economic component and to position the industry to take advantage of opportunities for growth, the Texas Legislature established Texas Transportation Institute's (TTI) Center for Ports and Waterways (CPW) in 1995. The CPW provides valuable applied research at the local, regional, and national level, benefiting both the nation and the State of Texas.

Through research and development, TTI has improved the effectiveness and efficiency of transportation systems. The Institute has been instrumental in improving mobility, safety, and economic competitiveness throughout Texas and the nation. This proven track record of research, technology transfer, and implementation is a valuable resource for the maritime industry.

From local issues in water transportation to issues such as Homeland Security, TTI and the CPW are uniquely qualified to help ensure the safety, efficiency, and productivity of our nation's maritime interests.

The CPW links seaports, shippers, carriers (all modes), government, universities, and the private sector. Working with these agencies which have interests in water and intermodal transportation, the Center addresses complex issues such as:

  • Trade flows and trends,
  • Intermodal concerns,
  • Regional competitiveness,
  • Landside access,
  • Economic and environmental impacts,
  • International commerce,
  • NAFTA and GATT,
  • Port development,
  • Transportation Policy formulation and implementation, and
  • Security.

The Center for Ports and Waterways is located in Houston, Texas. View a map to the office's location.

Mission

The CPW will provide maritime interests with a dynamic research, development, technology transfer, and education program that will:

  • Improve the productivity of ports and waterways,
  • Increase the efficiency of operations upon those waterways,
  • Ensure that the environmental concerns are considered and included in findings and recommendations,
  • Augment maritime and marine industry efforts to become more competitive internationally,
  • Test new technologies and support implementation,
  • Help coordinate projects among multiple agencies, and
  • Provide educational opportunities for marine transportation professionals.

Expertise

The CPW is a consortium of universities with extensive expertise in maritime issues who work together as a team in research and development activities. Consortium members include: Lamar University, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M at Galveston, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and The University of Texas at Brownsville.

The multidisciplinary expertise of the researchers at these universities represents all perspectives of engineering, economics, transportation, marine biology, and geosciences. This enables the CPW to develop practical and cost-effective solutions to the challenges that face the maritime industry. Concentrating on an intermodal research approach, the CPW is studying all facets of the maritime industry to develop a seamless transportation system. In addition to the extensive resources and capabilities of The Texas A&M University System available through TTI, consortium members bring unique contributions to produce implementable research for the water transportation industry. View a partial listing of project experience and expertise from 1996 through the present by category below.

A marine council provides advice and recommendations to the CPW and serves as a resource group for the center. This council consists of representatives from the Coast Guard, Corps of Engineers, maritime associations, private industry, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Waterway Operators Association, and the Texas Ports Association.

Related Articles

For more information about this research center, see the article in the Texas Transportation Researcher entitled The Center for Ports and Waterways.

Cooperative Relationships/Sponsors

In addition to the capabilities of consortium members, the CPW draws on the resources of state, national, and international agencies. CPW researchers have also established strong working relationships with private industry, and are active members of organizations that support the maritime industry.

The CPW maintains a strong commitment to higher education and professional training as many of its researchers hold joint teaching appointments and conduct specialized training programs through the consortium universities. Additionally, graduate and undergraduate students actively participate in, and make significant contributions to, the center's successful research program.

For More Information

Jim Kruse
Center for Ports & Waterways
Texas Transportation Institute
Texas A&M University System
701 N. Post Oak, Suite 430
Houston, TX 77024
ph. (713) 686-2971 · fax (713) 686-5396
j-kruse@ttimail.tamu.edu

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