Traffic congestion is as familiar as bluebonnets on the roadside for anyone who’s traveled I-35 in the last 20 years.

The interstate route — which in Texas stretches south from the Red River all the way to the Rio Grande at Laredo — has carried commerce and commuters across the Lone Star State for nearly 150 years. Before the modern highway was christened I-35 in 1959, much of it was known as the Chisholm Trail.

Once crowded with cattle in long drives north to Kansas, today’s I-35 has a similar reputation for being tightly packed — only now it’s bumpers, not bovines, causing the slowdown. In an innovative approach to improving the roadway’s capacity, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) created MY 35, a citizen-driven effort to expand a 96-mile stretch from Hillsboro to Salado of I-35 in the Waco District. At an estimated total cost of $2.5 billion, the overall effort is made up of 17 smaller construction projects and targeted for completion in 2017.

TxDOT Teams with TTI

Commuters and businesses alike will soon benefit from the expansion of I-35 in TxDOT’s Waco District. Due for completion in 2017, the project is widening corridor capacity and improving safety to better meet the traveling needs of Texans.

A project of this size is a huge undertaking, and not just when it comes to coordinating the construction itself. TxDOT is reconstructing nearly 100 miles of roadway in a relatively short amount of time, and that affects hundreds of thousands of citizens living nearby, tens of thousands of businesses, and millions of travelers over the life of the project.

TxDOT engaged the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) to provide independent technical support for the effort. One way TTI is helping is by providing mobility coordinators to keep citizen groups and businesses informed and lessen any negative impact of construction.

For example, TxDOT is converting many two-way access roads along the interstate to one way to improve safety. To business owners situated beside I-35, the change can seem threatening because, in the short term at least, it potentially changes customer access to their stores.

“Our job is to talk through the entire process with the business owner,” says TTI Research Engineer Jim Dale, lead mobility coordinator on the project. “We let them know we understand their concerns and help them see the longer-term benefits of the changes.”

Helping TxDOT get the word out is one of two major jobs for TTI on the project. The Institute developed a communications plan for the department and has done everything from designing flyers, truck stop signs and email alerts to organizing public meetings and writing, editing and distributing My 35 Central Texas News, a monthly newsletter aimed at keeping interested parties informed.

“Whatever means we use, our main goal is to get information into the hands of citizens and business owners so they can make the best decisions possible for their travel needs,” says Dale. “And very soon we’ll be getting the word out in a whole new way.”

Getting the Word Out in Real Time

http://my35.org

What Dale is referring to is a first-of-its-kind traveler-information system developed by TTI for the I-35 project. The system integrates several methods for capturing data, forecasts congestion along the construction route, and provides that information to everyone who wants it. The system, currently being refined, is a primary example of how TxDOT and TTI are working together to improve transportation in Texas.

“The purpose of the system is two-fold,” explains TTI Research Scientist Bob Brydia, principal investigator on the traveler-information project. “First, it’ll give reliable traffic forecasts for I-35 travelers while the expansion project is under construction. Second, after construction is finished, it’ll form the basis for a comprehensive traffic management system for TxDOT’s Waco District.”

The traveler-information system is similar in concept to modern traffic management systems used in urban areas. The unique aspect is combining construction data and corridor travel data for a long interstate highway passing through rural and urban areas. Put simply, the system marries three data-gathering methods together to create reliable forecasts for travelers:

1. Bluetooth® technology — Travelers’ devices (e.g., cell phones, laptops and the GPS systems in newer cars) are anonymously pinged at point A and point B, giving a reliable estimate of travel time between the points.
2. Wavetronix sensors — Placed strategically along the corridor at 17 points of high traffic interaction, such as where a state highway crosses I-35, these sensors capture traffic volume.
3. End-of-queue warning systems — Radar detectors mounted in orange barrels around work zones measure speeds of approaching vehicles as they near the work zone, and patterns of slowing traffic (indicating a backup in traffic flow) are noted.

TTI has developed computer algorithms to integrate this information together to create reliable traffic forecasts, which are then passed on to travelers. Once the system is fully up and running, travelers will be able to access reliable forecasts via the Internet of what traffic on I-35 in Waco will be in an hour, before they ever leave Hillsboro, some 40 miles away.

It sounds simple enough in theory, but gathering and analyzing the data and creating reliable forecasts are incredibly complex tasks. And different information systems have to talk effectively with one another to make sure the information stays accurate and useful by the time it reaches travelers.

“From our perspective, a real success story of this project is how effectively we’ve been able to interface with TxDOT’s LoneStar traffic management system,” says Brydia. “Using their data protocols, we feed our information to them, and that helps drive the messages you see on the portable changeable message signs [PCMSs].” PCMSs display traffic forecasts along the roadway.

While congestion can be inconvenient for travelers, it can also be costly — in very real terms — for big business. Knowing where work zones are, what lanes will be closed, and when to expect slower travel is vital for companies like Walmart and H-E-B. They rely on I-35 to get their goods via truck from major distribution hubs to their brick-and-mortar stores. When you’re talking perishables, traffic backups can mean the difference between fresh and spoiled milk — and that can translate into lost revenue for the company and higher prices for consumers.

Similarly, with better information on hand, emergency management services personnel can get to the scene of an accident sooner. The life-saving potential there really needs no further explanation.

“Right now, the main way for alerting travelers is via PCMSs and daily email alerts,” explains Brydia. “Very soon we hope to take advantage of social media, including Twitter, and supply real-time information to TxDOT’s My35.org website in the form of a dynamic traffic map.”

Jodi Wheatley, Waco District’s information specialist for the project, acknowledges that without TTI’s help, the I-35 expansion effort would have been much tougher.

“Reconstructing almost 100 miles of interstate is a massive job for the department, and at the end of the day we at TxDOT want to be as responsive and helpful as we can to our fellow Texans,” Wheatley says. “Because of the scope of the project, that would be much more difficult without TTI’s logistical support and technical know-how. Maybe even impossible.”

This Issue

Partners in Transportation Research

Volume 48, Number 3
September 2012
Issue Overview

This Issue

Making the Grade: Tomorrow’s Transportation System

Volume 48, Number 1
March 2012
Issue Overview

On this page:

• For More Information

“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. 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.”
Shawn Turner,
head of TTI’s Mobility Division

For more information:

Shawn Turner
(979) 845-8829
shawn-turner@tamu.edu

]]> http://tti.tamu.edu/2012/03/01/fighting-congestion-with-technology-the-new-frontier-2/feed/ 0 http://tti.tamu.edu/2011/12/01/rider-42/ http://tti.tamu.edu/2011/12/01/rider-42/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:47:40 +0000 Tobey http://tti.tamu.edu/?p=7500 Legislative Action Focuses on Highest-Priority Mobility Needs

Traffic congestion problems in Texas are nothing new. What is new is the approach being taken by state leaders in their efforts to address them.

In May, the 82nd Texas Legislature set aside $300 million to “acquire right of way, conduct feasibility studies and project planning, and outsource engineering work for the most congested roads in each of the four most congested regions of the state.” As part of that goal, the Texas Legislature directed Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) to be a facilitator and coordinator of studies designed to:

• determine which projects will offer the greatest results in congestion relief, economic benefits, user costs, safety and pavement quality;
• identify funding options to support the projects and suggest the best use of future revenues for the projects;
• ensure that the best practices in traffic management and demand management are getting the most efficient possible use of the current roadway system;
• ensure open and transparent public participation; and
• make recommendations to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) at major decision points.

TTI’s Mobility Investment Priorities (MIP) study is designed to get the state’s highest-priority roadway projects moving. Those projects are drawn from TxDOT’s 100 Most Congested Roadways list. The purpose of the study is to complement — but not to replace — efforts already underway by local agencies.

The TTI team conducting the MIP study is led by Senior Research Engineer Tim Lomax and includes co-principal investigator David Ellis, Executive Associate Director Bill Stockton and Senior Research Scientist Cathy Reiley. Local efforts in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio are led by experienced researchers in each of the metro areas. Further support is provided by subject matter experts in traffic and demand management, as well as public engagement and communication. The specialty list runs the gamut from signal operations to social media. Shannon Crum of TxDOT’s Transportation Planning and Programming Division is coordinating the MIP effort with a variety of other projects, programs and planning efforts.

“What the legislature has directed us to do involves a different approach to project development,” says Lomax. “That’s because many of the needed projects are so big that they don’t readily fit into the traditional and financially constrained regional planning process. TTI’s work on this study is designed to augment that process.”

The MIP study is one element in a $3 billion appropriation — outlined in Rider 42 of the state budget —  that also provides for other mobility needs, bridge improvements, statewide connectivity projects and maintenance, rehabilitation, and safety needs.

“Traditional revenue sources for transportation have been stretched to their limits in recent years,” says Stockton. “And the more severe this funding shortage becomes, the more important it becomes to invest those limited dollars in the most effective way possible. The MIP study is designed to help the state ensure that effectiveness.”

This Issue

What Next? Choosing Our Transportation Future

Volume 47, Number 4
December 2011
Issue Overview

On this page:

• For More Information

Traditional revenue sources for transportation have been stretched to their limits in recent years. And the more severe this funding shortage becomes, the more important it becomes to invest those limited dollars in the most effective way possible. The MIP study is designed to help the state ensure that effectiveness.”
Bill Stockton,
TTI executive associate director

For more information:

Bill Stockton
(979) 845-9947
stockton@tamu.edu

]]> http://tti.tamu.edu/2011/12/01/rider-42/feed/ 0 http://tti.tamu.edu/2011/11/15/researchers-identify-the-nations-most-congested-corridors/ http://tti.tamu.edu/2011/11/15/researchers-identify-the-nations-most-congested-corridors/#comments Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:01:06 +0000 Tobey http://tti.tamu.edu/?p=7262 Holiday travelers will have a better idea of exactly where to expect traffic delays, as well as some help in planning for them, thanks to a report released today by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), a Texas A&M University System agency.

The 2011 Congested Corridors Report is the first nationwide effort to identify reliability problems at specific stretches of highway responsible for significant traffic congestion at different times and different days. Researchers noted that the corridors included in the report were identified by the data itself.

INRIX, a leading provider of traffic data and analytics, originated the corridor approach, using 10 hours of congestion per week to define a starting point for a congested corridor. To be considered a “corridor,” according to the INRIX standard adopted for this report, congestion should impact a freeway segment at least 3 miles long.

“Until now, we’ve been able to measure average congestion levels,” noted TTI Research Engineer Bill Eisele, “but congestion isn’t an ‘average’ problem. Commuters and truckers are understandably frustrated when they can’t count on a predictable trip time from day to day.”

Eisele credited the data and corridor listing provided by INRIX with making it possible for researchers to quantify traffic congestion, and the even more frustrating variation in congestion from day to day in major urban areas across the country.

The report describes congestion problems in 328 seriously congested corridors over a variety of times — all day, morning and evening peaks, midday, and weekends. Much of our national congestion problem exists in a relatively small amount of our freeway system.

Not only were these roads found to have more stop-and-go traffic than others, they were also much less predictable — “so, not only does it take longer, commuters and truckers have a difficult time knowing how much longer it will take each time they make the same trip” said co-author David Schrank.

Among the report’s key findings:

• The 328 corridors, while accounting for only 6 percent of the nation’s total freeway lane-miles and 10 percent of the traffic, account for 36 percent of the country’s urban freeway congestion;
• The 328 corridors account for 8 percent of the national truck traffic and 33 percent of urban freeway truck delay;
• Travel time reliability is more of a problem around bridges, tunnels and toll facilities, both because there are few alternate routes available in such circumstances and because a small incident can have a huge effect on corridor travel times; and
• When travel time variability increases, your trip becomes less predictable. Every occurrence of an unpredicted travel disruption creates slower speeds than normal and contributes to an increase in our reliability measures.

As the first national look at travel time reliability, researchers believe that the report can be useful in determining where transportation system improvements will have the greatest impact.

The best approach is to consider all the congestion solutions:

• Traditional road building and new or expanded transit facilities;
• Traffic management strategies such as aggressive crash removal;
• Demand management strategies like improving commuter information and employer-based ideas such as telecommuting and flexible work hours; and
• Denser development patterns with a mix of jobs, shops and homes so people can walk, bike or take transit to more and closer, destinations.

The researchers stress that there is no single best way to fix the problem. The best solutions, they say, will come from efforts that have meaningful involvement from everyone concerned — agencies, businesses and travelers.

“If cities and states make the right investments in our most congested highway corridors, the return on those investments will be substantial,” says study author Tim Lomax. “Not only will we see more reliable trips for travelers and trucks, but we can also expect to see greater productivity and more jobs.”

The Texas Transportation Institute, located in College Station, Texas, is an agency of the Texas A&M University System.

For more information, contact:

Bill Eisele

Research Engineer

Texas Transportation Institute

(979) 845-8550David Schrank

Associate Research Scientist

Texas Transportation Institute

(979) 845-7323

http://mobility.tamu.edu/corridors/

]]> http://tti.tamu.edu/2011/11/15/researchers-identify-the-nations-most-congested-corridors/feed/ 0 http://tti.tamu.edu/2010/12/01/tti-in-the-media/ http://tti.tamu.edu/2010/12/01/tti-in-the-media/#comments Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:58:23 +0000 Chris Sasser http://tti.tamu.edu/?p=1009 Over the past year, TTI experts answered tough questions on a variety of state and national transportation issues. Over 2,500 newspaper articles, broadcast television spots and professional journals — with a potential reach of over 725 million readers and viewers nationwide — mentioned the Institute or its experts. Here are a few excerpts of TTI‘s media coverage over the last fiscal year.

For more information, please contact Rick Davenport at (979) 862-3763 or r-davenport@tamu.edu.

The Wall Street Journal

Sept. 10, 2010, “Deaths in crashes decline amid gains in car safety”

“The focus on engineering and enforcement has taken us to this point,” said Quinn Brackett, a safety researcher with the Texas Transportation Institute. Now, he added, “We need to focus on a paradigm shift away from occupant protection toward crash avoidance.”

Austin-American Statesman

June 13, 2010, “Going, going, going, going green: Impact is multiplied when entire fleets embrace alternative fuels, improved efficiency”

“Due to economic competition and the perpetual drive to reduce operating costs, freight shippers and carriers already have significant incentive to minimize fuel costs and thereby (greenhouse gas) emissions, which are second only to labor costs and increasingly volatile,” said Annie Protopapas, an associate research scientist with the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University. “In the long term, they do realize substantial cost savings.”

Reader’s Digest

Oct. 1, 2009, “Unlocking gridlock”

“We can’t get rid of traffic, but we can shorten commutes by operating our roads better ‘ clearing wrecks faster and timing lights more efficiently.”

Tim Lomax,
Texas Transportation Institute

Kansas City Star

Aug. 14, 2010, “Wrecks point up work-zone risks”

About a third of all work-zone crashes in Missouri can be attributed to inattentive driving, and the second-leading contributing factor is following too closely. Both were cited in last week’s bus crash. … “It’s one of the very reasons that it’s hard to guard work zones against serious crashes,” said Gerald Ullman, senior research engineer at the Texas Transportation Institute. “We can put up all the signs we want, and all the bells and whistles,” Ullman said. “What we can’t control is did they see it. That’s why we’re so concerned about distracted driving in work zones.”

The Washington Post

Feb. 7, 2010, “Racking up miles? Maybe not.”

Within a few years, a driver who pulls up to the gas pump may pay two bills with a single swipe of the credit card: one for the gas and the other for each mile driven since the last fill-up. … But getting the public and its elected officials to accept that idea maybe a tough sell. …

“Technology is not the limiter,” said Ginger Goodin, a senior research engineer at the Texas Transportation Institute who did a major study on pricing. “The decision is in the policy arena. It’s entirely up to lawmakers and their constituents.”

The Arizona Republic

Aug. 19, 2010, “HAWK lights to help reduce pedestrian deaths in metro Phoenix”

The Texas Transportation Institute has done two studies of the HAWK (High Intensity Activated Crosswalk) system and found they work. Last year, the institute studied Tucson HAWK lights and found there were 69 percent fewer accidents involving pedestrians and 29 percent fewer crashes overall at the HAWK sites, said Kay Fitzpatrick, a senior research engineer with the institute.

This Issue

Working Across Transportation Solutions

Volume 46, Number 4
December 2010
Issue Overview

On this page:

• The Wall Street Journal
• Austin-American Statesman
• Reader’s Digest
• Kansas City Star
• The Washington Post
• The Arizona Republic

For more information:

Rick Davenport
(979) 862-3763
r-davenport@tamu.edu

]]> http://tti.tamu.edu/2010/12/01/tti-in-the-media/feed/ 0 http://tti.tamu.edu/2010/09/01/the-big-squeeze-the-future-of-congestion-management/ http://tti.tamu.edu/2010/09/01/the-big-squeeze-the-future-of-congestion-management/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:51:53 +0000 Chris Sasser http://tti.tamu.edu/?p=1127

TTI prepares the definitive national study documenting congestion costs and trends in 85 urban areas: the annual Urban Mobility Report. The most recent study, which was reported on by 700 media outlets across the country, provides invaluable input into policy and transportation decisions.

Gone are the days when we simply build new roads or more lanes to ease traffic congestion. Funding is limited, and — in many areas — the space is no longer available. As a result, there’s been a shift from building new highways to managing the roads we have. Mobility analysts examine problems associated with congestion and develop innovative solutions and measure their effectiveness.

Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Research Engineer Tim Lomax is well known for his three decades of research measuring congestion and reporting the results in TTI‘s Urban Mobility Report. Lomax’s work looks at long-term congestion trends, ranks the largest 100 metropolitan areas (in terms of delay, congestion cost and excess fuel consumed) and describes congestion improvement strategies.

“Since virtually everyone is impacted by congestion, the research we do has a lot of built-in interest,” Lomax says. “But there’s a lot more to it than just measuring the time commuters spend in traffic.”

As congestion worsened over the last several decades, innovative strategies have been developed, implemented and measured. Some of the early strategies were as simple as timing the signal lights on arterial roadways. High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes were implemented to help relieve congested roadways. Although successful in incentivizing carpooling and transit use, many of the nation’s HOV lanes have also become crowded.

Pay As You Go

TTI Senior Research Engineer Ginger Goodin, an expert in the field of road pricing, is the principal investigator on a Federal Highway Administration project that developed a toolkit of resources for use in evaluating the need for and implementing high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes. And along with TTI Senior Research Engineer Beverly Kuhn and other researchers, Goodin also co-authored a handbook on managed lanes. The handbook was part of a multiyear effort to assist the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in optimizing the performance of managed-lane facilities.

“What we see happening now is the growing acceptability of paying for a predictable trip,” says Goodin. “HOT lanes and managed lanes are in place in about a dozen U.S. cities, and more are being developed.”

Goodin points out that there is growing interest in pricing applied to new roads, new bridges and new lanes, both for purposes of funding the improvements and managing the flow of traffic.

Not Just an Urban Problem

The mobility challenges facing rural communities have concerned transportation officials since the 1920s. Today, the rapid growth of many urban and suburban communities extends to the areas once known as rural, altering traffic patterns and changing local and regional economies.

TTI Associate Research Scientist John Overman examined the different approaches used by transportation planners during the development of a rural transportation system. The result of the study was a comprehensive guidebook that presented tools and strategies for planning practitioners, TxDOT engineers, administrators and transportation planning partners to address their specific transportation needs.

Overman is currently finishing a project examining the role of rural planning organizations (RPOs) in the mobility planning and programming process in rural areas of Texas. As the state seeks to improve rural mobility, RPOs will play an increasing role as forums for informed transportation decision making. Overman’s project will produce a guidebook for TxDOT districts that currently lead rural transportation planning.

Technology to the Rescue?

Technology advancements are improving the nation’s commute. For years, traffic management centers have used closed-circuit television, traffic sensors, electronic message signs and ramp meters to monitor and manage traffic. Now, many private-sector companies provide real-time traffic information based on Global Positioning System devices, included in phones and navigation devices, which help monitor the speed of traffic and point to trouble areas in the roadway network.

“With improving computer technology, more commuters are able to work from home at least part of the time,” says TTI Associate Research Scientist David Schrank. Virtual home offices — utilizing the Internet, e-mail and teleconferencing — could also be a part of the solution in the future to help ease traffic congestion and save fuel.

Commentary on Mobility

Ken Allen
Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and Logistics
H-E-B

Time is money. That statement has never been truer for business than it is today. We define transportation “mobility” as a performance measure for how we move people and products. That might involve the impact on a company’s bottom line or a parent’s lost quality time with a child. Wasted gasoline, wasted time, declining air quality — all are signs that mobility is decreasing and congestion worsening. Time isn’t just money…it can also be quality of life or the very air we breathe.

Texas is growing, with an expected population of over 30 million by 2030. Our transportation infrastructure isn’t keeping up. “Learning to do better with what we have” is as much a moral imperative as a strategy these days. We simply can’t build our way out of transportation problems anymore.

Figuring out how to improve mobility is one way to do better with what we have. The Texas Transportation Institute’s (TTI‘s) expertise in this area helps businessmen like me look ahead so we can better meet our customers’ needs. Not much is more important to a business than a clear picture of what’s to come.

Beyond its internationally recognized Urban Mobility Report, TTI has contributed to improving mobility in other ways. For example, improved safety through roadside devices means smoother traffic flow. That’s important to me in a just-in-time world because I have to get perishable goods to my stores in a timely manner. I’ll lose customers if they have to stare at an empty shelf and ask, “Where’s my milk?” TTI helps me keep from having to answer that question.

We speak of Texas transportation costs in billions of dollars. Even though it’s sometimes not as easy to quantify, we shouldn’t lose sight of just how much TTI contributes to our state’s fiscal well-being.

The 2010-2011 Texas transportation budget — $17.1 billion.

The estimated cost of Texas transportation needs by 2030 — $315 billion.

The value of TTI research — priceless.

This Issue

Solving the Transportation Puzzle

Volume 46, Number 3
September 2010
Issue Overview

On this page:

• Pay As You Go
• Not Just an Urban Problem
• Technology to the Rescue?
• Commentary on Mobility
• For More Information

For more information:

Tim Lomax
(979) 845-9960
t-lomax@tamu.edu

]]> http://tti.tamu.edu/2010/09/01/the-big-squeeze-the-future-of-congestion-management/feed/ 0 http://tti.tamu.edu/2009/09/01/urban-mobility-report-highlights-rare-congestion-decline/ http://tti.tamu.edu/2009/09/01/urban-mobility-report-highlights-rare-congestion-decline/#comments Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:11:36 +0000 Chris Sasser http://tti.tamu.edu/?p=4263

IH-35 in Austin is one of the state’s heavily congested roadways.

Fuel prices that began rising at the end of 2007 helped ease the nation’s congestion slightly, according to the Texas Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) Urban Mobility Report, released on July 8. The popular report found that, as a result, time wasted for the average commuter was cut by about one hour. Even so, most rush-hour travelers still spend nearly a full work week stuck in traffic each year.

Researchers Tim Lomax and David Schrank conduct the study, which has been analyzing the nation’s congestion since 1982. The Urban Mobility Report determines the annual delay per traveler and the amount and cost of fuel that’s wasted. In 2007, American commuters wasted 2.8 billion gallons of fuel for a total congestion cost of $87.2 billion, or $760 per traveler.
The nation’s 439 urban areas are studied — the top 90 locations are ranked in order of congestion, from Los Angeles, California, to Wichita, Kansas. Commuters wasted the most time in traffic in the following regions:

• Los Angeles – Long Beach – Santa Ana, California;
• Washington D.C. – Virginia – Maryland;
• Atlanta, Georgia;
• Houston, Texas;
• San Francisco – Oakland, California;
• Dallas – Fort Worth – Arlington, Texas;
• San Jose, California;
• Orlando, Florida;
• Detroit, Michigan; and
• San Diego, California.

“Chances are, most commuters did not notice the slight decrease in congestion from 2006 to 2007,” says Schrank. “However, we think the recession will have more of an impact on rush hour in some hard-hit areas.” Schrank and Lomax believe that overall congestion in 2008 and 2009 may also show a decline as a result of the economic downturn. However, they warn that any congestion relief as a result of the recession will end as the economy improves.
“Historically, when the economy rebounds after a downturn, so does the traffic problem,” Lomax points out. “But a lot of it may hinge on the price of gasoline at the time.”
The 2009 Urban Mobility Report was front-page news across the country. About 750 television and radio broadcasts and newspaper articles were aired or written on the report.
“Getting the word out to all the media is a major task,” says TTI Director of Communications Richard Cole.
Months before it is released, reporters from across the country inquire about the issue date of the Urban Mobility Report. For months following, the report is cited by reporters when their stories focus on traffic and transportation.

Sponsors for the 2009 Urban Mobility Report were the University Transportation Center for Mobility at Texas A&M University, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association – Transportation Development Foundation, the American Public Transportation Association and TTI.

This Issue

The Future of Rail in Texas

Volume 45, Number 3
September 2009
Issue Overview