Poster for the TRB My35 poster session.

It’s common, even required at stages, to engage the public during the planning and development of a transportation project. But to continue that effort throughout the construction phase is rare.

TxDOT’s I-35 Mobility Initiative lets motorists and business owners along the interstate know what improvements are coming, what the impacts will be during construction, and what can be done to mitigate delay and access issues. Keeping the public informed is one way to help lessen the negative impact of the construction project as it occurs.

“Communications and Outreach for the I-35 Mobility Initiative” was the title of a poster developed for the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., Jan. 13-17. In fact, it was the only poster to highlight public outreach covering all phases of a construction project displayed at TRB, the largest gathering of transportation practitioners and researchers in the world. The poster highlights the project’s mobility coordination goals and how TxDOT is using technology and social media to keep travelers informed of lane closures and travel conditions. It also describes future plans of the project.

For the past two years and continuing through 2016, TxDOT’s Waco District has made a comprehensive effort to keep the public and businesses along I-35 in Central Texas informed about the state’s massive, $2.1 billion I-35 Expansion Project. The effort coordinates 17 separate projects spanning McLennan, Belton, Falls and Hill Counties and is evolving into a prototype for TxDOT to use in conducting construction projects. The new model involves greater outreach to the public to answer citizens’ questions, resolving mobility issues in a more timely fashion, and keeping the public informed as construction progresses.

For the I-35 Expansion Project and as reported previously in this newsletter, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is currently deploying a first-of-its-kind traveler information system to alert commuters about construction activities and delays before and during their trips along I-35. TxDOT and TTI are getting the word out via face-to-face visits, a monthly newsletter, awareness campaigns, community meetings, electronic roadside signs, and real-time social media-based traveler updates.

“The poster we developed was unique,” TTI Assistant Agency Director Christopher Poe explains. Poe coordinates all of TTI’s efforts on the project. “It outlines the extensive campaign throughout the construction of the multiple projects along a single interstate highway. I think the work that TxDOT and TTI have done on this project will become a model for other DOTs.”

Charley Wootan Award winners Erik Sabina and Stacey Bricka pose with TTI’s Katie Turnbull. (Photo courtesy TRB)

Lead authors Stacey Bricka, Nauman Sheikh and Adam Pike were the respective winners of the Charley V. Wootan, K.B. Woods and Young Professional awards.

Established in 2004, the Charley V. Wootan Award is presented to the outstanding paper in the field of policy and organization. Wootan, who served as TTI’s director from 1976 to 1993, was active in TRB and served as its director in 1983. Bricka is the first TTI employee to receive the Wootan Award.

“This is the first paper award I’ve won and the first paper I submitted as a TTI employee,” Bricka, manager of the Mobility Management Program, says. “The fact that we won out of hundreds of submissions is a real honor, and the fact that it’s named after one of the early leaders of TTI is especially rewarding.” Bricka, who joined TTI in 2010, co-wrote Evaluation of Key Design Elements of Long-Distance Survey of Front Range Travel Counts with Erik Sabina of the Denver Regional Council of Governments.

The K. B. Woods Award, which this year was presented to Associate Research Engineer Nauman Sheikh and co-author and Program Manager Roger Bligh—both of TTI’s Roadside Safety Program—was established in 1971 for the outstanding paper published in the field of design and construction of transportation facilities. Woods was the 19th chairman of the Highway Research Board.

K.B. Woods Award winners John Holt, Nauman Sheikh, Roger Bligh pose with Katie Turnbull.

Their paper, Minimum Rail Height and Design Impact Load for Longitudinal Barriers That Meet Test Level 4 of Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware was part of a Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) research project and co-authored by John Holt of TxDOT’s Bridge Division.

“I feel blessed to receive the award,” Sheikh says. “I think it’s an acknowledgement that the research was worthy of being published and recognized. I feel very fortunate.” Sheikh is no stranger to paper awards. Since beginning his professional career at TTI as a student employee, he’s received three other TRB paper awards, including his first K.B. Woods Award in 2007. Bligh has received three other major paper awards. This is his third K.B. Woods Award.

TRB officials say a total of 4,800 papers were submitted for seven awards named for pioneers in transportation research.

Adam Pike, assistant research engineer in TTI’s Signs and Markings Program, received a 2012 Young Professional Best Paper Award after being one of four that were nominated from the Maintenance and Preservation Section. The paper was entitled Evaluation of ASTM Standard Test Method E2177: Retroreflectivity of Pavement Markings in a Condition of Wetness. This award was the first Young Professional Award conferred under the Maintenance and Preservation Section.

TRB’s Annual Meeting attracted 11,700 transportation professionals from around the world and covered all transportation modes. More than 40 sessions and workshops addressed this year’s theme: Deploying Transportation Research — Doing Things Smarter, Better, Faster.

Transportation Research Board’s (TRB’s) National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 432: Recent Roadway Geometric Design Research for Improved Safety and Operations reviews and summarizes roadway geometric design literature completed and published from 2001 through early 2011, particularly research that identified impacts on safety and operations. TTI Associate Research Engineer Marcus Brewer is the author of the report.

The report is an update of NCHRP Synthesis 299 on the same topic published in 2001 by TTI researchers Kay Fitzpatrick and Mark Wooldridge.

According to Brewer, Synthesis 432 contains updates on a variety of geometric design research emphasizing the effects on operations and safety, such as intersection control and roundabouts.

The report is structured to correspond to chapters in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, more commonly referred to as the Green Book.

“Being able to see it through from start to finish was very rewarding,” says Brewer. “There are more than 100 references coming from a variety of sources, including many reports that other TTI people have done. We want this to be a one-stop shop for people to come to and find the latest research related to design issues for the past 10 years.”

Brewer is presenting the Synthesis for a webinar on June 19. More information about the webinar, including a link to register, can be found at http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/167131.aspx.

Additional information on NCHRP Synthesis Report 432, and how to obtain a copy, can be found at http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/166996.aspx.

TTI Executive Associate Agency Director and Chair of the Technical Activities Committee Katie Turnbull; and research team members Kay Fitzpatrick, Susan T. Chrysler, Vichika Iragavarapu and Eun Sug Park.

A team of TTI researchers — Kay Fitzpatrick, Susan T. Chrysler, Vichika Iragavarapu and Eun Sug Park — received a “best paper” award for their work on crosswalk markings that is influencing national policy decisions on pedestrian crosswalk markings. The foursome received the D. Grant Mickle Award for their paper “Detection Distances to Crosswalk Markings: Transverse, Continental, and Bar Pairs,” which was 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,” Fitzpatrick noted. “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.”

Left to right: Greg Casto, vice president of AvAirPros; George Dresser, retired TTI senior research scientist; and Peter Mandle, Aviation Group chair from LeighFisher.

Also honored at the TRB Annual Meeting was retired TTI Senior Research Scientist George Dresser, who received the Aviation Group 2012 Francis X. McKelvey Award, named for a long-time researcher in the field of aviation. The award is presented to an individual in recognition of his or her demonstrated commitment to the betterment of the aviation industry.

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.

Dresser 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.

Larsen

Graduate Research Assistant Lisa Larsen was named University Transportation Center for Mobility (UTCM) Student of the Year. In part, she was selected based on her performance as a student and her work on a UTCM research project, which considers the equity impacts of a vehicle-miles-traveled fee. Larsen received the award at TRB’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., at the Council of University Transportation Center’s banquet.

Sperry

Graduate Research Assistant Ben Sperry was named the Outstanding Doctoral Student of the Year of the Southwest Region University Transportation Center. He received the Dr. William J. Harris Award at TRB’s Annual Meeting. Sperry, a graduate of Texas A&M University, conducts research focused on understanding how existing passenger rail lines contribute to mobility and economic development in intercity corridors.

This Issue

Making the Grade: Tomorrow’s Transportation System

Volume 48, Number 1
March 2012
Issue Overview

On this page:

• For More Information

For more information:

Terri Parker
(979) 862-8348
t-parker@tamu.edu

]]> http://tti.tamu.edu/2012/03/01/tti-at-trb-2/feed/ 0 http://tti.tamu.edu/2012/02/03/tti-research-honored-at-trb-annual-meeting/ http://tti.tamu.edu/2012/02/03/tti-research-honored-at-trb-annual-meeting/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:38:16 +0000 Chris Sasser http://tti.tamu.edu/?p=7710 D. Grant Mickle Award

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.”

]]> http://tti.tamu.edu/2012/02/03/tti-research-honored-at-trb-annual-meeting/feed/ 0 http://tti.tamu.edu/2011/03/01/awards-more/ http://tti.tamu.edu/2011/03/01/awards-more/#comments Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:09:39 +0000 Chris Sasser http://tti.tamu.edu/?p=908 Hall of Fame Honor

TTI Executive Associate Director John Epps is inducted into the National Asphalt Pavement Association's Hot-Mix Asphalt Hall of Fame. From left to right: Jim Roberts, president and CEO of Granite Construction, Inc.; Jon Epps; Larry Lemon, chairman of the National Asphalt Pavement Association; and Jay McQuillen, vice president of Granite Construction, Inc.

Texas Transportation Institute Executive Associate Director John Epps was inducted into the National Asphalt Pavement Association’s Hot-Mix Asphalt Hall of Fame in February at the 56th annual meeting of the association in Orlando, Fla., in February 2011.

The hall of fame was “established to recognize and honor individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to the asphalt pavement industry leading to innovations in the production and placement of asphalt pavement, in the usage of asphalt as a paving material, and in the general advancement and recognition of the industry.”

The honor recognizes Epps’ significant contributions to the asphalt pavement industry throughout his 40-year career.

TTI Executive Associate Director John Epps is inducted into the National Asphalt Pavement Association’s Hot-Mix Asphalt Hall of Fame. From left to right: Jim Roberts, president and CEO of Granite Construction, Inc.; Jon Epps; Larry Lemon, chairman of the National Asphalt Pavement Association; and Jay McQuillen, vice president of Granite Construction, Inc.

TRB Appointments

Paul Carlson

Katie Turnbull

Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Executive Associate Agency Director Katie Turnbull has been appointed chair of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Technical Activities Council (TAC). The TAC provides leadership for the 200 TRB standing committees. It fosters communication across committees, coordinates annual meeting spotlight themes and cross-cutting issue sessions, helps identify critical transportation issues, and promotes research and outreach initiatives.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as TAC chair,” notes Turnbull. “Participating in TRB has greatly enriched my professional development, and I look forward to making sure others have the same opportunities.” Turnbull, who will serve a three-year term, is the first TTI researcher to serve as TAC chair.

Additionally, Paul Carlson, research engineer and head of TTI‘s Operations and Design Division, has been appointed to serve as chair of TRB‘s Operations and Preservation Group. In this capacity, he will also serve as a member of the TAC.

TTI Welcomes Returning Advisory Council Member

Linda Watson

TTI is pleased to welcome Linda Watson back to the TTI Advisory Council. Watson was named president and CEO of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority in July 2010. In this role, she manages Capital Metro’s day-to-day operations. Capital Metro serves 10 communities and has a budget of $164 million, 1,500 employees and 500 vehicles.

Most recently, Watson served as CEO of Central Florida’s Regional Transportation Authority, LYNX. She was a member of the council previously but resigned in 2004 when she moved to Florida. She formerly served as general manager of the Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority and assistant general manager of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority. Watson is a past chair of the Transportation Research Board and currently serves on the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, among several other board positions. She graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington with a B.A. in political science and an M.A. in urban and regional affairs, and was recently honored as a distinguished alumnus of the university.

State Research Champion Award

Gary K. Trietsch receives the 2010 TTI State Research Champion Award from TTI Agency Director Dennis Christiansen.

The 2010 Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) State Research Champion Award, sponsored by Trinity Industries, was presented to Gary K. Trietsch at a reception in Houston Nov. 30, 2010. Trietsch was a strong supporter of research throughout his 40-year career with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), including serving as district engineer for the Houston District and director of TxDOT‘s Maintenance and Operations Division. This commitment continues with his ongoing participation in the TTI Advisory Committee.

“Gary is well known for his innovative thinking, creative approach to problem solving and focus on results,” noted TTI Director Dennis Christiansen in presenting the award. “His leadership within TxDOT helped advance numerous research projects that have contributed to mobility, safety and improved operation of the state’s transportation system.”

Tooley Receives ARTBA’s Steinberg Award

Melissa Tooley (right) receives the S.S. Steinberg Award from ARTBA RED Board Member Teresa Adams.

The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) honored Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Director of External Initiatives Melissa Tooley with its 2010 S.S. Steinberg Award Jan. 24.

“Some people ask what happened, some people watch what happens, and some people make things happen. Melissa Tooley makes things happen.” The sentence appears on an ARTBA news release announcing the award. The quote is from an industry peer describing Tooley, who is also director of TTI‘s University Transportation Center for Mobility.

Tooley accepted the award in Washington, D.C., during the 90th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board.

The Steinberg Award is named after the founding president of the ARTBA Research and Education Division (RED) and recognizes an individual who has made remarkable contributions to transportation education.

“It is a huge thrill to receive the Steinberg Award, and all that it represents,” Tooley said of the honor. “There is no greater tribute than to be recognized by my peers, especially in an organization like ARTBA.”

In Memoriam

Zimmer Receives ASTM Award

Dick Zimmer

ASTM International presented Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Senior Research Specialist Dick Zimmer with a Meritorious Service Award after 32 years with the organization. Zimmer began serving on the group’s Vehicle Pavement System Committee (Committee E-17) in 1978.

The Meyer-Horne Outstanding Achievement Award was named after NASA Engineer Walter Horne and Penn State Mechanical Engineering Professor Wolfgang Meyer, early pioneers in pavement friction research.

TTI Honors Bob Skinner at TRB

TRB Executive Director Robert Skinner (center, holding plaque) was presented with the TTI Director's Research Champion Award in a Washington, D.C., ceremony. Also pictured (left to right) are TTI Agency Director Dennis Christiansen, Dianne Skinner, TTI Director Emeritus Herb Richardson and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Executive Director John Horsely, also a Research Champion Award recipient.

Robert Skinner, the executive director of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), was honored by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) in Washington, D.C., Jan. 23 at TRB‘s Annual Meeting. The TTI Director’s Research Champion Award was presented to Skinner for his support of transportation research.

“There is no better example of a transportation research supporter,” Agency Director Dennis Christiansen said of Skinner, who has been the TRB executive director since 1994. “Under his leadership, TRB has expanded its scope and increased its stature. He is a true research champion.”

In addition to his TRB duties, Skinner serves on numerous university advisory groups and special transportation study boards.

“I greatly appreciate this award. I have had the opportunity to work with terrific people and organizations over the years,” Skinner told those attending the reception. “All of TRB shares in this award, and I thank TTI and Trinity Industries very much for the recognition.”

This Issue

Implementation: Where the Research Meets the Road

Volume 47, Number 1
March 2011
Issue Overview

On this page:

• Hall of Fame Honor
• TRB Appointments
• TTI Welcomes Returning Advisory Council Member
• State Research Champion Award
• Tooley Receives ARTBA’s Steinberg Award
• In Memoriam
• Zimmer Receives ASTM Award
• TTI Honors Bob Skinner at TRB
• For More Information

For more information:

For more information about these news items or other media inquiries regarding TTI research, please contact,

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

]]> http://tti.tamu.edu/2011/03/01/awards-more/feed/ 0 http://tti.tamu.edu/2010/03/01/tti-at-trb/ http://tti.tamu.edu/2010/03/01/tti-at-trb/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:30:54 +0000 Chris Sasser http://tti.tamu.edu/?p=1571

Dominique Lord was recognized during the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Sharing the honor are Lord's parents, Laurent and Diane Lord.

When Assistant Professor and Assistant Research Engineer Dominique Lord received word that he had won a major award that would be presented at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 89th Annual Meeting, it was a big surprise. After all, he didn’t know he was in the running.

Without his knowledge, Associate Professor and Research Engineer Gene Hawkins recommended Lord for the 2009 New Faculty Award presented annually by the Council of University Transportation Centers (CUTC) and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The award recognizes “outstanding teaching and research contributions to the transportation field.”

According to Hawkins, Lord “is a valuable faculty member that excels at research and teaching.” Judges with CUTC/ARBTA agreed.

“The New Faculty Award is quite prestigious, and I am obviously honored,” Lord said. “It was a big moment for me and my family. It was a career highlight to be recognized like this.”

Director of the University Transportation Center for Mobility Melissa Tooley said the award represents the “best of the best,” and is a great recognition for TTI and Texas A&M. The award presentation took place at the CUTC annual banquet, held during the TRB Annual Meeting.

Word of Lord’s recognition made its way to his boyhood home of Saint-Lambert, Canada. As a result, the town honored him with another honor: the city’s Lambertois Award.

Robert Johns, director of the Volpe National Transportation Center and chair of the TRB Technical Activities Council, presents the 2009 Patricia Waller Award to TTI Senior Research Engineer Kay Fitzpatrick and TTI Associate Research Scientist Eun Sug Park. (Photo courtesy TRB)

Another prestigious award, the 2009 Patricia Waller Award for outstanding paper in the field of safety and system users, was presented to Senior Research Engineer Kay Fitzpatrick and Associate Research Scientist Eun Sug Park. Their paper, “Safety Effectiveness of HAWK Pedestrian Treatment,” evaluated the safety performance of the HAWK beacon device, a pedestrian safety treatment that significantly reduces pedestrian and intersection-related crashes where it’s installed.

“We are pleased that TRB felt it was worthy,” says Fitzpatrick of the honor. The award was presented to Park and Fitzpatrick on Jan. 11.

The Patricia Waller Award was established in 2004 and is named in memory of a former researcher and clinical psychologist.

Assistant Agency Director Christopher Poe received a Committee Service Award from the TRB Freeway Operations Committee. Poe was recognized for his work with the committee in planning the Freeway and Tollway Operations Conferences over the last three years.

Also recognized was Research Engineer Tim Lomax who was made chair of the National Transportation Data Requirements and Programs Committee, and Associate Research Engineer Mark Burris was named chair of the Transportation Economics Committee.

A memorandum of understanding between Abu Dhabi, UAE and TTI was signed Jan. 12. Director of Abu Dhabi's Main Road Division Faisal Al Suwadi (left) and TTI Director Dennis Christiansen signed the document during the TRB Annual Meeting.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Abu Dhabi, UAE and TTI was signed Jan. 12. The director of Abu Dhabi’s Main Road Division, Faisal Al Suwadi, and TTI Director Dennis Christiansen signed the document during the TRB Annual Meeting.

Regarding additional research possibilities, TTI and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Transport signed an MOU during a private meeting between the Institute and the director of the emirate’s Main Roads Division.

“The MOU helps to strengthen our relationship with Abu Dhabi,” says Associate Agency Director Ed Seymour, who has been leading TTI‘s effort in obtaining research with other countries. “We have done some work with the United Arab Emirates and Abu Dhabi in the past, including a street sign project being conducted by Paul Carlson. We hope this MOU leads to more research in that region.”

The MOU details cooperation between the parties in the field of road construction, planning and management. Any specific projects would be detailed in separate contracts.

 

Edwards Honored by TTI for Transportation Efforts

Rep. Chet Edwards (center) receives the TTI Director's Research Champion Award during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Presenting the award is TTI Director Dennis Christiansen (left) and Director Emeritus Herb Richardson (right), who is a previous recipient of the award.

In a ceremony at the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) recognized Rep. Chet Edwards for his ongoing efforts to champion transportation research.Edwards, the U.S. representative from Texas’ 17th District, was presented with the 2010 TTI Director’s Research Champion Award at the Institute’s Jan. 10 reception at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting. The Director’s Research Champion Award recognizes individuals at the national level who have been strong and effective advocates for transportation research.

“The real research champions are the people in this room who make our roadways safer, our air cleaner and our transportation system more efficient,” Edwards said in receiving the award, which is sponsored by Trinity Industries. “I will treasure this award because of my deep respect for TTI and all that you do.”

Rep. Edwards has made transportation a priority during his 18-year tenure representing 12 counties in his district, which includes Texas A&M University and TTI, located in College Station.

“We are honoring Rep. Edwards because he has secured vital federal investments to improve our nation’s transportation system and save lives on our public roads,” TTI Director Dennis Christiansen said in announcing the award. “He is a true champion of university research and over many years has been, and continues to be, an outstanding supporter of TTI.”

Edwards is the first elected official to receive the award, which TTI established five years ago.

This Issue

Improving Our Transportation Operations

Volume 46, Number 1
March 2010
Issue Overview