“Having this center is a very positive step in our plans to increase the breadth and volume of initiatives that we pursue with our partners and sponsors in railway research.  It will certainly position the university and TTI to become a more impactful leader in railway research,” said TTI associate research engineer Gary Fry, who will be the director of the center. Fry is also an associate professor in Texas A&M’s Zachry Department of Civil Engineering.

“The Center for Railway Research will also be dedicated to education and information sharing through formal initiatives,” Fry said.  As part of this, CRR will actively recruit students to enter railway transportation fields.

CRR will focus its research on the physical infrastructure associated with the rail industry, including the mechanical systems of trains, tracks and bridges. Safety and performance through innovation will be priorities for the center, which has a goal of creating longer lasting and more efficient components and systems.

Rail is one of the most economically and environmentally friendly modes of transportation and has a reputation for safety and reliability.

Since 1995, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) has provided TTI with $200,000 annually in seed money to operate the Texas A&M University’s Affiliated Laboratory for Railway Research (ALRR), which is one of three university-based railway research programs in the United States. With the establishment of the center, AAR will continue its support under the new administrative structure that CRR provides.

“Railway transportation is a vital element of our transportation system, which is responsible for an estimated 40 percent of our freight movement and serves every sector of our economy,” TTI Agency Director Dennis Christiansen said. “For that reason and many others, we are proud to house the Center for Railway Research.”

The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) recently completed a project to document some of these impacts.

“The purpose of the project was to measure the impact of the increased level of energy-related activities on TxDOT’s right of way and infrastructure, develop recommendations to reduce and manage TxDOT’s exposure and risk resulting from these activities and develop recommendations for potential changes to business practices,” says TTI Senior Research Engineer Cesar Quiroga.

The surface ripples on this pavement in the Lubbock District indicate a failure.

“Pavement was a big part of the project for the researchers,” says TxDOT project director Dale Booth. “The researchers focused their efforts in Abilene, Lubbock and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. And they found quite a bit of distress in those areas related to those industries.”

The researchers focused on the infrastructure impact by heavy trucks and machinery moving in and out of oil and gas well sites, as well as wind farms. Some of the problems observed included the following:

• Failures, surface ripples;
• Tire tracks on unpaved shoulders;
• Drainage problems at driveways;
• Mud tracking,
• Alligator cracking,
• Shoulder patches,
• Cracked seals; and
• Loss of surface.

The researchers also collected ground penetrating radar (GPR) and falling weight deflectometer (FWD).  Considering the increasing level of activity in connection with the Eagle Ford Formation in South Texas, the researchers also met with officials from the Laredo, San Antonio, and Yoakum Districts.

“After we gathered the data, we conducted an evaluation of impacts of energy developments on the transportation infrastructure, including pavement impacts and remaining pavement life, roadside impacts, operational and safety impacts, and economic impacts.  We also developed file geodatabases of relevant energy and transportation-related datasets and provided TxDOT with recommendations on how to alleviate potential problems that may arise with energy-related activities,” says Quiroga.

Critical recommendations at the end of the research included the need to maintain the geodatabase of energy developments to help TxDOT forecast and manage future developments, the need to engage and coordinate with energy developers earlier in the process and the need to strengthen certain protocols and requirements (e.g., those dealing with triaxial design checks, cross sectional elements on rural two-lane highways, and driveway permits).

Permitted oil and gas wells in the Fort Worth District area.

“As energy development continues in our state, especially in the gas-bearing shale formations which have become so busy in the last ten years, having statistical basis to show their impacts serves as a springboard for additional funding,” says Booth.

Booth also notes the importance of the geodatabase as a communications and predictor tool for TxDOT.

“As a communications tool, it is a visual way to predict well permits and well development in any area. When you run the program year-to-year, you can see ‘waves’ of wells progressing across the screen,” says Booth. “If you then show your audience the pavement distress and how that has progressed through the years, it paints a vivid picture of what energy developments in our state are doing to our transportation infrastructure. As a communications tool and predictor of future needs, the geodatabase is the centerpiece of this project.”

For additional information about this project, watch the video summary report: Energy Development and TxDOT ROW or read the project summary report.

TTI Executive Associate Agency Director Katie Turnbull, Research Team Members Kay Fitzpatrick, Susan T. Chrysler, Vichika Iragavarapu, and Eun Sug Park

A prestigious “best paper” award was given to a team of Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers during the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 90th Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. The D. Grant Mickle Award for the outstanding paper in operations and maintenance was awarded to Kay Fitzpatrick, Susan T. Chrysler, Vichika Iragavarapu, and Eun Sug Park, for their paper, “Detection Distances to Crosswalk Markings: Transverse, Continental, and Bar Pairs,” published in Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2250.

“This project was a wonderful example of how colleagues with different talents can team together and generate an extremely successful product. The enthusiasm and desire to produce an exceptional project was infectious. We were all willing to improve our portion of the project so that the final product was high quality along with, of course,  being usable by the profession.

After the conclusion of the project, an engineer from another state sent an email complimenting the team regarding the usability of the findings. This email reinforced the value of the research and for us, was particularly gratifying in that our work is being appreciated and used. The results are influencing policy decisions regarding pedestrian crosswalk markings on a national level.

The process to earn the Mickle award includes multiple steps. To have several peer review committees select this paper as the best is humbling and overwhelming. We appreciate having our work recognized by our peers.” Award winning research team

The D. Grant Mickle Award was established in 1976 and may be given annually for the outstanding paper published in the field of operation, safety, and maintenance of transportation facilities. It honors the fifth executive director, who was later appointed a member of the Board’s Executive Committee and became its 33rd chairman.

Dresser Receives McKelvey Award

L-R: Greg Casto, Vice President AvAirPros; George Dresser, Retired TTI Senior Research Scientist; Peter Mandle, Aviation Group Chair from LeighFisher.

Retired Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Senior Research Scientist George Dresser received the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) 2012 Francis X. McKelvey Award during a reception on January 23, 2012, in Washington, DC.

Dresser retired from TTI in 2004, following a 35-year career, 25 of which he served as manager of the Transportation Planning Program. Early in his career, Dresser worked with the Texas Aeronautics Commission and the Texas Department of Transportation’s Aviation Division, where he developed the methodology for state airport system planning still used today. His work dates back to the early 1970s, when he was instrumental in developing the state’s first Texas Aeronautical Facilities Plan.

As part of his work in aviation systems planning, he helped pioneer the regional planning meeting process, where airport planners visit airports in the system and hold public meetings in the airport communities to discuss the needs of local airports, their role in the community, and how stakeholders can help each other in building and developing the local, regional and state economies.

Prior to his work with airports, Dresser began his aviation career in the U.S. Navy as a naval flight officer. He retired as a captain in the U.S. Naval Reserves with 3,500 hours of flight time in the RA5C Vigilante, the SP2H Neptune, and P3A/B Orion aircraft.

In his nomination, TTI Director Dennis Christiansen noted that Dresser’s “commitment and contributions in both research and the development of professionals make him an ideal candidate to receive this award.”

CADES — which was founded and directed by Maury Dennis, a retired Texas A&M University professor and a current senior research scientist at TTI — began operating in 1997 to address problems caused by alcohol and drug abuse.

CADES remained in Texas A&M’s Department of Health and Kinesiology in the College of Education and Human Development after Dennis’ retirement from the department in 2006. Since his employment at TTI the following year, Dennis has been successful in acquiring more than $500,000 in alcohol-related research projects for the center.

“The transfer makes a lot of sense,” Dennis said. “I think it now has a very good chance of expansion because of individual TTI experts in alcohol- and driving-related issues. CADES seems to be a perfect fit for the Institute.”

Under Dennis’ leadership, CADES developed numerous statewide education programs including the Texas DWI Education Program, the Texas Alcohol Education Program for Minors, and the Texas Drug and Alcohol Driving Awareness Program. The CADES programs have been instrumental in teaching students, prosecutors, probation officers, expert trial witnesses and alcohol servers various aspects of alcohol-related issues.

“While the administrative responsibility of CADES has been transferred to TTI, the College of Education and Human Development will continue to be involved with center activities and research,” Dennis said.

For more information about CADES, please visit their website.

As a result of the funding, transportation programs at Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas Southern University, Louisiana State University and The University of New Orleans will address a wide range of vital transportation research and curriculum issues. SWUTC is one of ten regional consortia that are part of a nationwide UTC program that includes a total of 121 universities. In all, $77 million will be awarded for this year’s program, which includes 10 regional UTCs plus 12 Tier 1 centers.

“Winning this grant award is great news for our researchers, faculty members, and students,” says SWUTC Director Dock Burke, who is also a Texas A&M University System Regents Fellow and senior research scientist at TTI. “The one-year funding will allow us to enhance SWUTC’s education, research and technology-transfer efforts that have been so vital in solving transportation-related problems in our region and educating the professional cadre that will lead the transportation sector of the future.” Burke has been involved in SWUTC since its inception in 1988, and has been director since 1992.

The U.S. DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration used a competitive process to select the 22 centers to receive the grant funding. These UTCs will work closely with federal, state and local agencies to solve transportation problems.

“SWUTC has been active in developing a transportation work force to solve some of the transportation issues we face including efficiency, finance, safety, and sustainability,” Burke says. “Also, this new funding will help us attract the very top quality students with scholarships and other educational opportunities to our campuses.”

For more information, visit the SWUTC website.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Maintenance Vice President Michael Hubble said the EERF could help his agency accurately determine what impact electrically driven air conditioners and cooling fans for radiators have on bus emissions. In an effort to save on fuel costs, DART recently purchased a fleet of 459 busses with air conditioners that aren’t tied to the bus engine; instead, they’re powered by a separate on-board electrical system.

“What emissions benefit there is for the new busses we don’t know for sure,” Hubble said. “A lab like this one has not been available in Texas before.”

After fielding numerous questions from transit agencies about the lab’s testing capabilities, Associate Research Specialist Jeremy Johnson and Assistant Research Scientist Doh-Won Lee answered many detailed questions and assured the group that “anything you can measure on the bus, we can build into a testing plan. Whether it’s for an A/C test or idling emissions analysis, we can incorporate that into the test.”

The EERF is designed for a wide range of testing, including engine emissions and fuel consumption, the infiltration of pollutants into vehicles, onboard technologies — even the absorption of emissions by plant materials.

Head of the Environment and Air Quality Division Joe Zietsman told the group, “The plan is to add a movable heavy-duty chassis dynamometer for the EERF. This will make it possible for a large vehicle like a bus to be driven inside the chamber, significantly expanding the testing capabilities of the facility.”

The group was also able to view a crash test and had lunch at the Gibb Gilchrest Research Building. Executive Agency Director Katie Turnbullprovided an overview of TTI, and Associate Research Scientist John Overman and Assistant Transportation Researcher Matt Sandidge provided an over of a research project, conducted by TTI for Houston Metro and Capital Metro, examining life-cycle costs for CNG transit fleets. Also,Transit Mobility Program Manager Linda Cherrington moderated a discussion of transit maintenance research needs.  Participants agreed they would like to meet on a regular basis at TTI to share ideas.

For more information, visit the EERF website.

Each is a separate research initiative, and both projects are just getting underway as researchers gather crash data and begin looking for clues.

“We have seen significant reductions in crashes and traffic deaths overall,” CTS Director John Mounce explains. “However, some groups have not been included in these vast improvements. We’ve found two areas that I strongly believe we should investigate further.”

Latino Initiative

Data show that Hispanics have a disproportionate risk of dying or being injured in traffic crashes. So, CTS has begun a Latino Traffic Safety Initiative (LTSI) to study this complex problem in Texas and offer countermeasure approaches.

“In just nine years, the Hispanic population is expected to outnumber the non-Hispanic population in Texas,” says CTS Senior Research Scientist Katie Womack. “The more we learn about the reasons for the lopsided crash statistics, the better head start we will have on making travel safer for what will soon be the majority population. Everyone will benefit as a result.”

Nationally, the figures are alarming:

• Motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for Hispanics ages 1-34.
• Hispanic children ages 5-12 are 72 percent more likely to die in a motor-vehicle crash than non-Hispanic children and they are less likely to wear a restraint device.
• Hispanics are more likely to drive under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, and are more likely to be driving without a valid license.

The LTSI will first examine the Texas crash and fatality data. Do our state’s Hispanic figures reflect national statistics?

“We have a lot of questions about injuries and fatalities among the Latino population,” Womack points out. “What are the ages of the crash victims? Are more males or females killed and injured? What are the causes of the crashes? Were the occupants wearing safety belts or using child restraints? How big of a problem is impaired driving among Hispanics in Texas?”

Eventually, the goal of the LTSI is to determine if language barriers, education levels, socio-economic status and other cultural differences play a role in the crashes.

“We suspect that the Texas figures will show a disproportionate Hispanic fatality and injury rate similar to the national figures,” Womack predicts. “If they do, how do we best approach this problem?”

Womack says to accomplish the goal of the LTSI, a variety of methods will need to be employed — crash data analysis, focus groups, workshops and surveys. It is important to examine traffic safety from the Latino perspective to get a complete picture.

“This project is in the very beginning stages, and I foresee it being a long-term, multi-year task. It’s a very complex issue,” Womack says.

The Texas Transportation Institute’s Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) is investigating the reasons why two distinct population groups — Hispanics and U.S. military personnel — are experiencing above-average crash rates.

Each is a separate research initiative, and both projects are just getting underway as researchers gather crash data and begin looking for clues.

“We have seen significant reductions in crashes and traffic deaths overall,” CTS Director John Mounce explains. “However, some groups have not been included in these vast improvements. We’ve found two areas that I strongly believe we should investigate further.”

Military Initiative

A March 2011 article in the military publication Medical Surveillance Monthly Report caught the attention of CTS researchers. In it, crash data over an 11-year period was examined.

Citing the study, the article, entitled “Motorcycle and Other Motor Vehicle Accident-related Deaths, U.S. Armed Forces, 1999-2010,” stated: “Motor vehicle accidents (MVA) are the leading cause of deaths of U.S. military members during peacetime. During the four years prior to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, one-third of all deaths of service members were caused by MVAs. Since the beginning of those operations, there have been nearly as many deaths of service members due to ‘transportation accidents’ as war related injuries.”

The article reported that more than 4,000 active-duty service members died in crashes during that period, with motorcycle deaths accounting for 24 percent of the fatalities.

“This is obviously a problem that not many people have thought about,” Senior Research Engineer Russell Henk says. “As the article points out, many of the crash victims are young, high school-educated, single males — characteristics that could be associated with a higher risk of dying in crashes.”

Henk says that he needs to dig deeper into the military crash rate issue, but already has some ideas about approaching the problem. He points out that the Center is well positioned to tackle the issue of impairment, motorcycle safety and the dangers of younger drivers based on its previous work.

Henk, who is also the director of TTI’s Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) program, says elements of the successful high school-targeted driver safety program could be applied to the military crash-rate problem.

“TDS uses a peer-to-peer approach with students, who conduct the program and spread safety messages among fellow students. I can foresee that same approach being replicated in a military setting,” he says.

In exploring the CTS military initiative, contacts have been made with the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University, Ft. Hood in Killeen and with military officials in San Antonio, where Henk is based.

For more information, please visit the Center for Transportation Safety’s website.

Since the early 1980s, TTI has estimated congestion in hundreds of urban regions across the country. Published annually, the resulting Urban Mobility Report has been the most reliable source of congestion information available.

Although Institute researchers will continue publishing this report, the way they received their congestion data dramatically changed two years ago.

“Up until recently, congestion data was gathered from public sources,” Shawn Turner, manager for the Mobility Analysis Program, explains. “Cities and state departments of transportation gathered that information themselves using sporadic traffic counters, a limited amount of roadway sensors and a lot of estimations.”

Those methods seem primitive today compared to what is available from the private sector — real time data thanks to GPS and Bluetooth® devices that are contained within many vehicles, cell phones and mobile devices. Traffic monitoring companies receive data from the devices and can monitor actual speeds and travel times with ever-increasing accuracy on any major highway across the country — not just in urban areas. The data they collect is sold to auto manufacturers, fleet management companies, vehicle navigation firms, and, now on a limited basis, government agencies.

TTI has just completed a report for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that examines this new technology — the growing number of companies that collect the data, how it’s collected, the products used in collecting it, who’s buying it and how much it costs, how it’s being used and the legal issues surrounding use of private-sector data by the public sector. Private Sector Data for Performance Management will act as FHWA’s guide in assisting states and the federal government in using this information to manage/reduce congestion.

“FHWA really wanted to know everything it could about these new private data sources,” Turner says. “It has been charged with knowing what the congestion problems are, where they are and recommending where the money should go to help fix it.” Turner adds that the next transportation authorization bill will likely require a much more detailed level of congestion data for performance monitoring.

In addition to TTI, The University of Maryland and attorneys from the law firm of Nossaman LLP helped with the report.

“It’s clear that the technology is changing dramatically, and there are numerous questions about its use and application. The report is a starting point for FHWA,” Turner says. “It’s an exciting time because it’s entirely possible that a newer technology will emerge that will make this data collection method obsolete within a few years.”

Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) Research Scientist Patricia Turner leads the projects, which range from increasing driver awareness of motorcycles to expanding educational opportunities for motorcycle training instructors.

“The key to keeping the downward trend for motorcycle fatalities in Texas is education and outreach,” said Karen Peoples, TxDOT’s Interim Motorcycle Safety Project Manager.

“This includes making sure that all motorcycle safety trainers and instructors have access to professional development opportunities,” said Peoples.  “We need more and better qualified instructors to meet the growing demand for rider training courses, especially now that everyone must complete the course to get a motorcycle license or endorsement.”

“We  are very excited to be working with TxDOT to improve rider safety,” Turner said. “We’ve made a lot of progress over the past several years, but motorcyclists still account for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities, so it’s important that we continue our efforts.”

The Center’s motorcycle projects include:

Increasing recruitment/retention of motorcyclist safety training instructors

This project addresses the need for a more efficient way to deliver training and recertification to qualified motorcycle safety course instructors and trainers. TTI will work collaboratively with TxDOT and Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS) to conduct eight regionally diverse professional development workshops. TTI will also will film and produce several “on-bike” training videos to use in a web-based motorcycle safety instructor certification program currently under development.

Statewide motorist awareness and motorcycle safety outreach

Over several years, TTI has worked with TxDOT and the TxDPS to develop and promote public information messages and educational materials for drivers and riders to improve motorcyclist safety and reduce the number of motorcycle crashes and related injuries. This project continues these efforts through the implementation of a statewide motorist awareness and motorcyclist safety outreach program.  The project includes updating / developing motorist and rider awareness materials, including those associated with the “Share the Road,” “Take the Course,” “Ride Safe,” and “Drink.Ride.Lose.” campaigns; facilitating meetings, including the annual motorcycle safety forum, for the Texas Motorcycle Safety Coalition (TMSC), Board, and standing committees; maintaining and updating the motorcycle safety website, www.looklearnlive.org ; and distributing and promoting campaign materials and messages at public events, motorcycle gatherings, rallies, and conferences.

 Texas law enforcement motorcycle safety and enforcement training course conversion

Law enforcement play a significant role in reducing unsafe motorcycle riding through the enforcement of traffic laws and the promotion of safe riding behaviors and safe driving practices around motorcycles. Under a FY 2011 grant, TTI developed the State of Texas Law Enforcement Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Training course. The course informs officers about motorcycle laws, safety issues, and enforcement strategies to aid in reducing motorcycle crashes and injuries. This project involves the conversion of the classroom-based curriculum into a web-based training (WBT) program with the goal of reaching a larger number of Texas peace officers more efficiently.

For more information, contact Patricia Turner at (979) 458-2619 or p-turner@tamu.edu.