Using new methods for obtaining traveler information, researchers with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) are using technology in new ways to conduct an external travel survey for Omaha, Nebraska, and neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa. The survey will take place this spring. Instead of relying on traditional, more intrusive methods to obtain traveler information that […]
Archives for March 2013
Upcoming Symposium Explores: Are Mileage-Based User Fees the Right Tool for the Job?
If mileage-based user fees (MBUFs) become an accepted way to pay for transportation projects, technology will play a major role in implementing them. But, which technology will be used? Does current technology offer the best solution for collecting data and funds? On April 24, the 2013 National Symposium on Mileage-Based User Fees: A Technology Workshop […]
TTI Student Competes in Energy Innovation Challenge
TTI Graduate Student James Robertson and his two teammates will split a $5,000 educational scholarship for their participation in the 2nd Biennial Texas Energy Innovation Challenge. The Texas A&M University team competed against teams from The University of Texas and Texas Tech University. Their challenge: how to get power to all Texans, especially those living […]
TTI Staff External Awards and Committees
TTI researchers and staff contribute to the growth of the transportation profession by participating in, and leading, numerous local, state and national organizations. Many have recently won significant professional awards and hold elected offices or committee appointments in a variety of professional organizations. For example, more than 80 TTI researchers lead or serve on one […]
Travel Surveys: Moving from Tradition to Practical Innovation
The Southwest Region University Transportation Center (SWUTC) Household Travel Survey Symposium: From Tradition to Innovation was held in Dallas Nov. 8 and 9 and attended by more than 70 travel survey professionals from across the United States. Attendees represented an almost equal mix of agency, consultant and academic researchers. The symposium started with a poster […]
TTI Partners With Texas Lyceum For Upcoming Texas Infrastructure Conference
The Texas Lyceum’s 27th public conference will be held on Friday, April 12, at the downtown Austin Hilton. The theme of this year’s conference is Texas Infrastructure: Building the Future. The conference will address many of the critical issues and questions facing our decision makers such as: More than 37 million people are projected to […]
Gateways, Not Barriers: Seeing Old Borders in New Ways
Volume 49, Number 1 (2013) Adobe PDF version Inside This Issue: Gateways, Not Barriers: Seeing Old Borders in New Ways Using RFID Readers to Measure Wait Times at the U.S.-Mexico Border Safety-Belt Use at All-Time High in Texas Increasing Capacity, Reducing Wait Times: TTI Helps Design ITS-Based California Port of Entry TTI on the Border […]
Gateways, Not Barriers: Seeing Old Borders in New Ways
The world is changing. Used to be, national borders had one purpose: to act as a line a nation didn’t dare cross unless that nation wanted a war. Today — with the Internet cross-pollinating cultures between countries at the speed of light and a global economy dependent on streamlined international trade — national borders are […]
Using RFID Readers to Measure Wait Times at the U.S.-Mexico Border
For years, the movement of freight along the U.S.-Mexico border has been a long, slow process. As a first step in making improvements, actual wait times are being measured by radio-frequency identification (RFID) readers.
Safety-Belt Use at All-Time High in Texas
Ninety-four percent of Texas drivers and their front-seat passengers are buckled up. It’s the largest compliance percentage since researchers with TTI began tracking compliance in 1992.
Increasing Capacity, Reducing Wait Times: TTI Helps Design ITS-Based California Port of Entry
The proposed new port of entry, Otay Mesa East, will be a state-of-the-art tolled crossing facility.
TTI on the Border
Research findings from TTI’s CIITR staff often provide the foundation upon which stakeholders build new opportunities for improving and expanding international trade and tourism.
As Traffic Jams Worsen, Commuters Allow Extra Time for Urgent Trips
As traffic congestion continues to worsen, trip times become more unpredictable. Researchers now have a way to measure that degree of unreliability.
Computer Simulations Explore “What If” Disaster Scenarios
Advances in computer modeling now make a proactive plan more possible, potentially giving planners the head start they need to minimize the public-safety and economic consequences of a disaster.
TTI News
Ullman Receives Regents Fellow Designation The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents bestowed its prestigious Regents Fellow Service Award on Gerald Ullman, TTI senior research engineer and manager of the Work Zone and Dynamic Message Sign Program. Presented Jan. 30, 2013, the award recognizes employees who have made exemplary contributions to their university or […]
TTI Publications
Video Summary Reports Video Summary Reports are available on the Texas Department of Transportation’s Research and Technology Implementation Office’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/bestpracticesvsrs/. Develop Practical Field Guidelines for the Compaction of HMA or WMA, 0-6992. Developing a Testing Device for Total Pavements Acceptance, 0-6005. Development of Very Thin Overlay Systems, 0-5598. Evaluation of Modern Traffic […]