Edgar Kraus, P.E.

Kraus, Edgar

Associate Research Engineer

Research and Implementation - San Antonio
Texas A&M Transportation Institute
Texas A&M University System
1100 N.W. Loop 410, Suite 400
San Antonio, TX 78213
ph. (210) 979-9411 Ext. 17202 · fax (210) 979-9694
e-kraus@tamu.edu

Short Biography

Mr. Edgar Kraus is an Associate Research Engineer in the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Infrastructure Management Program and has been with TTI since 2001. He received a Master of Science degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of Rhode Island with an emphasis on transportation engineering. He also holds a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Braunschweig, Germany. Mr. Kraus is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas and an affiliate of the Transportation Research Board.

Mr. Kraus' primary fields of interest are transportation infrastructure management, right of way and utility issues, data architecture and application development, and spatial data technologies. As principal investigator, he currently leads a research team for an evaluation of overweight load routing on buried utility plant in the right of way. In the past, he has provided leadership in the development of a data architecture and prototype utility conflict data management system to accommodate work and data flows between utility coordination stakeholders in Texas. The prototype combines an ArcGIS Server mapping component with an Oracle database management system using the Microsoft .NET technology framework. The prototype is designed to facilitate the management and tracking of utility conflict data and associated documentation, such as utility agreements. At the national level, Mr. Kraus is involved with several research projects, including an NCFRP study for the development of a freight data architecture, a SHRP2 research project for the development of solutions for the identification and management of utility conflicts in the project development process, and an NCHRP study focusing on the improvement of right of way procedures and business practices.

In the past, Mr. Kraus has served on several TxDOT research projects and implementation initiatives that focus on infrastructure management and right of way issues. One of these initiatives was a research implementation project that developed a GIS-based data architecture for relocated utilities for the Katy Freeway Reconstruction Project in Houston, Texas. As part of this project, the team developed a robust data architecture for the permanent storage of utility facility data and specifications and processes for utility data capture, conversion, and transmission. In addition, Mr. Kraus served on a research implementation project that developed an online system and data architecture for the automation of TxDOT utility permitting procedures. The system uses an ArcIMS mapping component with an Oracle database management system to manage the utility permitting process and allow utility companies to apply for utility permits online. The system is in production at several TxDOT districts and is being expanded for use at all districts statewide.

Mr. Kraus has also provided support for research with a focus on accelerating utility impacts investigation and coordination. At the center of this study was an assessment of the feasibility to accelerate utility impacts investigations through identifying synergies in the NEPA/ environmental process. More specifically, the project concentrated on options to obtain better utility data during the schematic/preliminary design phase as opposed to the design phase. In addition, the project evaluated options to increase the level of definition of design components such as horizontal and vertical alignment, and drainage requirements during the schematic/ preliminary design phase. The research team was able to leverage a business process model of the project development process developed for a previous project and developed a detailed business process model that integrates utility coordination/conflict elimination and environmental processes. A product of this research is an online viewer called TxDOT Business Process Explorer (TxBPE) that allows access to detailed business process information from various TxDOT organizational units and is currently under review for implementation.

For a recently completed project sponsored by TxDOT, Mr. Kraus served on a research team to develop a ROW asset data management for the inventory of TxDOT ROW assets. The research team developed a framework to facilitate identification of right of way boundaries, tracking of right of way boundary changes, automatic mapping of right of way surveying data to other layers of information, and simply production of reports. As part of this research, the team surveyed several states about current right of way management systems. Products of the research were the development of data models for a right of way management system compatible with other existing TxDOT database management systems, and a prototype of the right of way management system.

Mr. Kraus served on a recent project that focused on the development of standardized special provisions for utility installations and utility unit costs. The research team developed recommendations for special provisions and potential changes to the Utility Accommodation Rules in the Texas Administrative Code. The research team also reviewed utility relocation cost data, evaluated utility industry cost indexes, and developed a procedure and corresponding listing of unit construction costs for utility installations within the highway right of way, along with guidelines for the implementation of the unit cost structure.

For a study to optimize utility accommodation strategies, Mr. Kraus served on a research team to develop a comparison of utility accommodation practices among selected DOTs. The study also produced a review of national utility relocation and reimbursement practices, an analysis of impacts on utility delay, and recommendation to improve TxDOT's utility accommodation practices as defined in the Utility Accommodation Rules. Mr. Kraus has also served as a researcher on a number of transportation studies, including the examination of freeway operational issues involving the use of micro-simulation models and capacity analysis models, and an evaluation of the feasibility of retrofitting existing border crossing along the Texas-Mexico border with elements of a prototype border crossing facility. He also assessed factors, trends, and legislative issues affecting red-light-running for a policy review on red-light-running. In addition, he has assisted multiple TxDOT district offices with micro-simulation traffic flow and capacity analyses in support of highway improvement, access management, and Intelligent Transportation Systems evaluation studies.

Education

  • M.S.C.E., Technical University Braunschweig, Germany, 2000.

Experience

  • Associate Research Engineer, Research and Implementation - San Antonio, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, September 2010 - Present.
  • Associate Research Engineer, Infrastructure Management Program, Texas Transportation Institute, September 2009 - August 2010.
  • Assistant Research Engineer, Infrastructure Management Program, Texas Transportation Institute, February 2006 - August 2009.
  • Associate Transportation Researcher, System Management Division, Texas Transportation Institute, September 2003 - January 2006.
  • Assistant Transportation Researcher, Research and Implementation - San Antonio, Texas Transportation Institute, November 2001 - August 2003.
  • Graduate Reseaerch Assistant, URI Transportation Center, October 1999 - August 2000.
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Fraunhofer Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institute, November 1988 - August 1999.
  • Research Assistant, Institute for Traffic and Urban Construction, April 1995 - June 1997.

Affiliations

  • Affiliate, Transportation Research Board (TRB).
  • Member, Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), Texas Section.

Selected Publications

E. Kraus, Y. Li, J.H. Overman, C.A. Quiroga. Best Practices for Utility Investigations in the TxDOT Project Development Process. 0-6631-S. Texas A&M Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. 2013.

C.A. Quiroga, Y. Li, E. Kraus, J.T. Le. Optimizing Utility Owner Participation in the Project Development and Delivery Process. 0-6624-1. Texas A&M Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. April 2013.

E. Kraus, Y. Li, J.H. Overman, C.A. Quiroga. Utility Investigation Best Practices and Effects on TxDOT Highway Improvement Projects. 0-6631-1. Texas A&M Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. April 2013.

C.A. Quiroga, E. Kraus, J.T. Le. Strategic Plan to Optimize the Management of Right-of-Way Parcel and Utility Information at FDOT. 600391-1. March 2013.

C.A. Quiroga, Y. Li, E. Kraus, J.T. Le. Improving the Response and Participation by Utility Owners in the Project Development Process. 0-6624-S. Texas A&M Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. 2012.

C.A. Quiroga, E. Kraus, Y. Li, J.T. Le. Strategies to Encourage and Facilitate Utility Owner Participation in Transportation Projects: Guidebook and Training Materials. 0-6624-P1. Texas A&M Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. November 2012.

E. Kraus. Instructor's and Student's Training Materials and Guidebook. 0-6631-P1. Texas A&M Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. November 2012.

D.R. Middleton, R. Rajbhandari, R.E. Brydia, P. Songchitruksa, E. Kraus, S. Hernandez, K. Cheu, V. Iragavarapu, S.M. Turner. TxDOT Uses of Real-Time Commercial Traffic Data: Opportunity Matrix. 0-6659-P1. Texas Transportation Institute, Houston, TX. January 2012.

D.R. Middleton, R. Rajbhandari, R.E. Brydia, P. Songchitruksa, E. Kraus, S. Hernandez, K. Cheu, V. Iragavarapu, S.M. Turner. Synthesis of TxDOT Uses of Real-Time Commercial Traffic Data. 0-6659-1. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. January 2012.

D.R. Middleton, R. Rajbhandari, R.E. Brydia, P. Songchitruksa, V. Iragavarapu, E. Kraus, S.M. Turner, S. Hernandez, K. Cheu. Synthesis of TxDOT Uses of Real-Time Commercial Traffic Routing Data. 0-6659-S. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. 2011.

E. Kraus, J.H. Oh, E.G. Fernando, Y. Li, C.A. Quiroga, N.A. Koncz. Evaluation of Overweight Load Routing on Buried Utility Plant. 0-6394-S. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. 2011.

E. Kraus, J.H. Oh, E.G. Fernando, E. Li, C.A. Quiroga, N.A. Koncz. Evaluating the Impact of Overweight Load Routing on Buried Utility Facilities. 0-6394-2. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. December 2011.

C.A. Quiroga, E. Kraus, P. Scott, T. Swafford, P.J. Meis, G. Monday. Identification of Utility Conflicts and Solutions. 477440-1. July 2011.

E. Kraus, E.G. Fernando, Y. Li, J.H. Oh, N.A. Koncz, C.A. Quiroga. Evaluating the Impact of Overweight Load Routing on Buried Utility Facilities. 0-6394-1. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. February 2011.

L.K. Cherrington, K. Eschbach, M. Cline, A.S. Edrington, P.L. Ellis, E. Kraus. Estimated Impacts of the 2010 Census on the Texas Transit Funding Formula: Project Summary Report. 0-6199-S. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. 2010.

K. Eschbach, M. Cline, L.K. Cherrington, A.S. Edrington, P.L. Ellis, E. Kraus. Estimated Impacts of the 2010 Census on the Texas Transit Funding Formula. 0-6199-1. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. September 2010.

C.A. Quiroga, E. Kraus, J.H. Overman, N.A. Koncz. Integrating Utility Conflict Elimination and Environmental Processes. 0-6065-S. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. February 2010.

C.A. Quiroga, E. Kraus, J.H. Overman, N.A. Koncz. Integration of Utility and Environmental Activities in the Project Development Process. 0-6065-1. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. January 2010.

C.A. Quiroga, E. Kraus, N.A. Koncz, S. Lyle, Y. Li. Right of Way Real Property Asset Management - Prototype Data Architecture. 0-5788-1. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. 2009.

E. Kraus, J.T. Le, H. Dawood. Utility Accommodation and Conflict Tracker (UACT) Installation and Configuration Manual. Research Report. 0-5475-2. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. April 2009.

E. Kraus, H. Dawood. Utility Accommodation and Conflict Tracker (UACT): User Manual. Research Report. 0-5475-3. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. April 2009.

E. Kraus, C.A. Quiroga, N.A. Koncz, H. Dawood. Development of a Utility Conflict Management System. Research Report. 0-5475-4. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. April 2009.

E. Kraus. Business Process Models. 0-5475-P3. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. April 2009.

E. Kraus. Prototype Utility Conflict Data Management System, Beta Version. Research Report. 0-5475-P2. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. April 2009.

C.A. Quiroga, Y. Li, J.T. Le, E. Kraus. Utility Installation Review System - Implementation Report. Implementation Report. 5-2110-03-2. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. March 2009.