Robert J. Benz, P.E.

Benz, Robert

Research Engineer

Research and Implementation - Houston
Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Texas A&M University System
701 N. Post Oak Rd., Suite 430
Houston, TX 77024
ph. (713) 686-2971 Ext. 15118 · fax (713) 686-5396
r-benz@tamu.edu

Short Biography

Mr. Benz is a Research Engineer at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and has been with the institute since 1991. He received a B.S. and a M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has held academic positions as an Adjunct Professor at Texas Southern University (1999) and at Prairie View A&M University (1999-2004). His professional interests are High Occupancy Vehicle / High Occupancy Toll (HOV/HOT) evaluations, transportation data management and analysis, safety, planning, and bicycle and pedestrian activities.

He is currently a research supervisor involved with the acquisition and management of transportation data for congestion management, long-range planning, and technical assistance for the planning department of the Houston District of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). He is also leading a TxDOT research study to determine the most efficient use of Flexible Pylons for roadway delineation. Mr. Benz is the principal investigator on several tasks with the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the region's Metropolitan Planning Organization, including revising and implementing the congestion management process; revising the ITS plan and updating the regional architecture; developing a web based crash data distribution and analysis system; developing and delivering a safety course for local government elected officials and policy makers; and a teen driver awareness program known as "Teens in the Driver Seat."

Other research projects have included performance measurement and monitoring, traffic operations, High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) operations, and local safety studies, as well as the development of university level course for the design of bicycle and pedestrian activities, pavement marking retroreflectivity, Roadway Weather Information Systems (RWIS), and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) traffic data technology, planning, architecture, and applications.

Mr. Benz is a member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, Texas Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and Chi Epsilon National Civil Engineering Honor Society. Mr. Benz is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas.

Education

  • M.S., Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, 1993.
  • B.S., Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, 1991.

Experience

  • Research Engineer, Research and Implementation - Houston, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, September 2007 - Present.
  • Associate Research Engineer, Research and Implementation - Houston, Texas Transportation Institute, September 2002 - August 2007.
  • Instructor, Prairie View A&M University, January 1999 - May 2004.
  • Assistant Research Engineer, Research and Implementation - Houston, Texas Transportation Institute, October 1999 - August 2002.
  • Instructor, Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas, January 1999 - May 1999.
  • Associate Research Scientist, Research and Implementation - Houston, Texas Transportation Institute, March 1997 - September 1999.
  • Assistant Research Scientist, Research and Implementation - Houston, Texas Transportation Institute, August 1993 - February 1997.
  • Research Assistant, Systems Implementation and Evaluation, Texas Transportation Institute, January 1993 - July 1993.
  • Graduate Assistant Research, Systems Implementation and Evaluation Program, Texas Transportation Institute, September 1991 - December 1992.
  • Research Technician, Texas Engineering Experiment Station, January 1990 - May 1991.
  • Inspector, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), June 1989 - August 1989.
  • Inspector, Turner, Collie, and Braden, June 1987 - August 1987.
  • Self Employed, Wet Earth Incorporated, March 1984 - August 1987.

Professional Registration

Registered Professional Engineer in Texas, Registration No. 85382, 1999.

Affiliations

  • Member, Chi Epsilon - The National Civil Engineering Honor Society.
  • Member, Houston-Galveston Area Council, Data Management Subcommittee.
  • Membership Chairman, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Texas Section (TexITE).
  • Member, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE).
  • President, Prairie View A&M University, Industry Advisory Council, 2010 - Present.
  • Member, Houston-Galveston Area Council, Transportation Safety Council, 2005 - 2006.
  • President, Prairie View A&M University, Industry Advisory Council, 2002 - 2003.
  • Member, Prairie View A&M University, Industry Advisory Council, 2000 - 2006.
  • Secretary, Prairie View A&M University, Industry Advisory Council, 2000 - 2001.
  • Member, Texas Transportation Institute, Network and Computer Process Team, 1995 - 1996.
  • Member, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), Technical Committee 4M36, Guidelines for Establishing Freeway Service Patrols, 1994 - 1995.
  • Member, Texas Transportation Institute, Strategic Management Team, 1994 - 1996.

Honors & Awards

Traffic Engineering Council Award for the Best Traffic Engineering Paper, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), 1995, for the paper, Guidelines for the Use of Flashing Operation at Signalized Intersections.

Patents

C.A.T.S. (Computer Aided Transportation Software), April 1997.

Academic Courses Taught

Transportation Engineering. Prairie View A&M University, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998.

Principles of Transportation Design and Engineering. Texas Southern University, 1999.

Short Courses Taught

Module II: Design of Roadside Safety Structures for Road Design Certificate Course. United States Agency for International Development. Pristina, Kosovo, March 2011.

Installation and Maintenance of Pavement Markings TRF 510. TEEX. Beaumont, TX, September 2010. Houston, TX, February 2010.

Transportation Safety for Elected Officials. Houston-Galveston Area Council. Houston, TX, September 10, 2009.

Roadway Weather Information System (RWIS). Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Short Course. Houston, TX, January 2003.

Short Courses Developed

Transportation Safety for Elected Officials. Houston-Galveston Area Council. Houston, TX, September 2009.

Transportation Road Show - High School Course. Southwest Region University Transportation Center. June 2003.

Transportation Road Show - Middle School Course. Southwest Region University Transportation Center. March 2003.

Roadway Weather Information System (RWIS). Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Short Course. Houston, TX, January 2003.

Transportation Road Show - Elementary School Course. Southwest Region University Transportation Center. January 2003.

Selected Publications

R.J. Benz, s. Kuchangi, A.A. Nelson, L.D. Theiss. Guidelines for the Effective Use of Flexible Pylons for Congestion Mitigation, Access Management, and Safety Improvement. 0-6643-S. Texas A&M Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. 2012.

R.J. Benz. Quantitative Versus Qualitative Assessment of Pavement Marking Visibility. Transportation Research Record: Journal of Transportation Research Board, No. 2169, 2010, pp. 88-94.

R.J. Benz. Texas Medical Center Arterial Travel Time Data Collection Utilizing Automated Number Plate Recognition. TRB 88th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers. Transportation Research Board. 2009, p. 15.

R.J. Benz, A.M. Pike, s. Kuchangi, R.Q. Brackett, P.J. Carlson. Mobile Retroreflectivity Best Practices Handbook. Product. 0-5656-P1. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. July 2009.

R.J. Benz, A.M. Pike, S.P. Kuchangi, R.Q. Brackett. Serviceable Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity Levels: Technical Report. 0-5656-1. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. March 2009.