For the first time, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) will team up with the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston (UTHealth), for a new project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The five-year project will look at how the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County’s (METRO’s) light rail transit (LRT) […]
Archives for 2013
CTS Researcher Teaches Child Passenger Certification Class in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican law requires fire stations to have at least one child passenger safety technician on staff to educate parents on the proper installation of the safety seats for their children as well as provide safety seats for families in need. Irene Rodriguez, assistant research specialist in the Center for Transportation Safety, has traveled to […]
TTI Helps TxDOT Evaluate the Economic Impact of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
Despite its benefit to the petrochemical industry and the state’s overall economy, most Texans know very little about the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW). Though it stretches from Brownsville, Texas, to Carrabelle, Florida, the Texas leg hugs the shoreline to Orange. The robust activity along those 379 miles of coastline will soon be described in a […]
TTI Successful on Broad Range of UTC Proposals
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) was recently successful in three proposals which will usher in an era of partnerships to improve transportation safety, rural transit and railway safety. According to TTI Director of External Initiatives Melissa Tooley, the three proposals will be two-year projects and were part of a competition for the University Transportation […]
TTI Lends Expertise to High-Speed Rail Panel at Texas Tribune Festival
Transportation issues figured prominently at the third annual Texas Tribune Festival, held Sept. 27-29 in Austin. Bill Stockton, executive associate director of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), joined three other panel members for a session examining the potential future of high-speed rail in Texas. TTI is currently conducting work for the Texas Department of […]
Need a Ride? There’s an App for That!
A new take on the traditional carpool, or ridesharing, is about to undergo a multi-year study by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) with support from the Federal Highway Administration’s Value Pricing Pilot Program. The project, conducted jointly with the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) and Carma, a real-time ridesharing vendor, will test the […]
Tooley Named ARTBA Vice Chairman at Large
Melissa Tooley, director of external initiatives at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), has been elected vice chairman at large for the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). Results of the nominating process were announced during ARTBA’s National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 8-12. Tooley’s election represents the first time a TTI employee has […]
87th Annual Transportation Short Course Highlights TTI-TxDOT Partnership
Every element of Texas transportation will be discussed during the 87th Annual Short Course as nearly 2,000 transportation professionals gather on the Texas A&M University campus Oct. 15-16. Breakout sessions will examine the latest research on topics like roadway design, maintenance and pavement management, rail, work zone safety and speed limits, just to name a […]
Zachry Department of Civil Engineering to Hold its Twenty-First Buchanan Lecture
Texas A&M University, Zachry Department of Civil Engineering will hold its Twenty-first Buchanan Lecture on the 22 of November 2013 at the College Station Hilton at 2:00p.m. in the Brazos Amphitheater. The 2013 Buchanan Lecturer is Dr. Andrew Whittle, the Edmund K. Turner Professor, in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts […]
TTI Featured on Discovery Canada
Recently, Discovery Channel Daily Planet Tech Correspondent Lucas Cochran visited the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI) Proving Grounds to film a Future Tech segment on portable barriers. Portable barriers have the potential to save state DOTs time and money, as they can be manufactured off-site and quickly installed. TTI Senior Research Specialist Matt Robinson was […]
Fatal Crash Risk For Teens With Passengers Rising, Even as Traffic Deaths Show 10-Year Decline
New research suggests that novice teenage drivers (age 15-17) are about eight times more likely than young adult drivers (age 18-24) to have a fatal crash if teenage passengers are in the motor vehicle. Moreover, that teen passenger risk has grown greater over the past decade, even as total numbers of crash deaths have dropped […]
TTI Hosts Infrastructure Maintenance Symposium
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute recently hosted DBi Services’ 9th annual Infrastructure Maintenance Symposium. The symposium was held August 27–28 and showcased the latest developments and technologies in the fields of infrastructure maintenance, operations and management. The two-day symposium featured educational breakout sessions on topics that focused on the current state-of-the-practice in transportation infrastructure maintenance. […]
TTI Helps METRO Hear from Riders, Including Those with Disabilities
The number of people with disabilities requesting transportation assistance from the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County’s (METRO’s) METROLift services has grown significantly in recent years. This increase has prompted the transit agency to consider a change in its paratransit policies and practices to balance quality of service with financial sustainability. Researchers with the Texas […]
New SEC Lab Making it Rain
The expanded Sediment Erosion Control (SEC) Laboratory officially opened its sprayers on September 4 marking the completion of a year-long construction project that more than doubles the capabilities of the research facility. The grand opening was celebrated with a two-day event that also featured a sediment and erosion control workshop. During her remarks, Texas A&M […]
Briaud Presents Louis Menard Lecture in Paris, France
It was serendipitous that Jean-Louis Briaud, Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Program manager at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, found himself presenting the prestigious Louis Menard Lecture in Paris, France, September 2. The annual lecture is part of the International Conference of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. Forty years ago, as a young civil engineering lecturer at […]
Texas Cities, Counties Invest in New Pavements Developed by TTI
Thin pavements expected to last longer, save money If thin is in, then the new pavements being developed by researchers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) are all that, and then some. Instead of the traditional two-inch overlays that are typical for road rehabilitation, TTI researchers have […]
Finding Ways to Stretch Our Transportation Dollars
Volume 49, Number 3 (2013) Adobe PDF version Inside This Issue: Research Points the Way to Progress How Do We Finance Transportation? That Is the (Philosophical) Question TTI’s SEC Lab Expands to Meet Demand TTI Sponsors Fifth Annual MBUF Symposium Texas and the Panama Canal Expansion Rider 42: “Bang for the Buck” and “Fast Planning” […]
Research Points the Way to Progress
Knowledge is only as useful as the benefits it provides. At the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), we pursue knowledge through our research. We test assumptions, validate results, and use the state of the art to advance the state of the practice. We work to make the transportation system better, safer and more efficient. In […]
How Do We Finance Transportation? That Is the (Philosophical) Question
Innovations in technology — like electric, hydrogen-fueled and hybrid cars — and improved gas mileage have resulted in flat gas-tax revenues…demands on the transportation network have continued to rise.
TTI’s SEC Lab Expands to Meet Demand
For years, TTI’s SEC Laboratory has provided sponsors with a state-of-the-art facility for assessing sediment and erosion control products. This expansion will more than double our current capabilities and reduce the waiting list.