Despite the different focuses of their respective fields, transportation researchers and human health professionals are discovering ways to work together on projects — and their new collaborations are creating even more opportunities never before considered. “We have a tendency to work within a vacuum, but we are learning that when we bring our separate expertise […]
Archives for 2015
TTI Divisions Showcase Materials and Structures Capabilities to TxDOT
On Tuesday, October 13, and concurrent with the 89th Annual Transportation Short Course, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) Materials and Pavements and Construction, Geotechnical and Structures Divisions hosted an open house of four transportation research laboratories. Facilities participating in the open house included TTI’s McNew Lab, High-Bay Structural and Materials Testing Lab, the Sensors […]
I-35, SH 130 Route Decisions Just Got Easier
Interstate 35 motorists north and south of Austin are now able to decide, with just one glance, if taking the toll road is the better choice. Developed and installed by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), dynamic travel-time signs comparing estimated I-35 and State Highway 130 toll road […]
Hudson Awarded NHTSA grant for The Unintended Highway Pedestrian
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has been selected by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to conduct a one-year project on reducing the number of motor vehicle–related pedestrian fatalities in Texas. Project manager and TTI Associate Researcher, Joan Hudson has been awarded $47,500 for the one-year project titled, The Unintended Highway Pedestrian – What […]
Henk Receives NSC’s 2015 Teen Driving Safety Leadership Award
The National Safety Council (NSC) recently awarded Russell Henk, program manager for TTI’s Youth Transportation Safety Program, the organization’s 2015 Teen Driving Safety Leadership Award. Henk won the award for his “long-term commitment to reducing teen crashes through developing, nurturing and growing” Teens in the Driver Seat® (TDS), the program Henk founded more than a […]
89th Annual Transportation Short Course Brings Research, Implementation Together for Texas
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is holding its 89th Annual Transportation Short Course on the campus of Texas A&M University Oct. 12–14. The event, organized and co-hosted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and TxDOT, briefs the department’s employees about the latest innovations resulting from the TxDOT’s transportation research. It also gives the […]
New Findings: More New Oil and Gas Wells, More Crashes and Injury Costs
A new study from TTI’s Transportation Policy Research Center shows a correlation between increased oil and gas drilling activity and crashes in energy-rich areas of the state. The findings are based on a comparison of two timeframes: 2006-2009 and 2010-2013 in the Permian Basin, Barnett Shale, and Eagle Ford Shale regions. In both the Permian […]
TTI Researcher Assists with Innovative Safety Program
MyCarDoesWhat, a national public education campaign launched by the University of Iowa (UI) and National Safety Council (NSC), kicks off this week. The one-of-a-kind campaign is dedicated to educating and demonstrating to drivers vehicle safety technologies designed to help prevent crashes. The foundation for the campaign was set by the National Consumer Survey of Driving […]
Newcomb to Head TTI Materials and Pavement Division
Effective October 1, Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Senior Research Engineer David Newcomb has been appointed head of the Institute’s Materials and Pavement Division. Newcomb replaces Andrew Wimsatt, who’s retiring from the position to lead a TTI effort to coordinate and expand the infrastructure assessment and management duties across the Institute. During Wimsatt’s tenure, the […]
Houston Area Drivers–Send Us Your Feedback!
The U.S. Department of Transportation is studying the experiences of regular drivers in the Houston area and is seeking your feedback! The study will involve an initial survey, a series of mini-surveys completed on your smartphone over one month, and a final survey. To participate in this study you must: Have a valid U.S. driver’s […]
Researchers Examine Potential Use of Variable Speed Limits in Texas
With help from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), state officials in Texas explored the use of variable speed limits (VSLs), an effort that could lead to more efficient highway operations and a decrease in collisions. Based on legislation passed in 2013, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) funded the VSL pilot study, using signs […]
TEES and TTI Announce Center for Infrastructure Renewal to Address Aging Roadways, Structures, Pipelines and Power Grid
The State of Texas has appropriated billions of dollars over the next biennium to address the state’s aging transportation infrastructure. Recognizing the need for better solutions to meet this challenge, the Texas Legislature appropriated $5 million for debt service for a joint venture between two state agencies, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and […]
Call for Nominations: 2016 Texas Transportation Hall of Honor
The Texas Transportation Hall of Honor board is accepting nominations for 2016 inductees until November 15, 2015. Each individual selected for the Hall of Honor is recognized at an induction ceremony and with a plaque on permanent display in the Hall of Honor located at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute in the Texas A&M University […]
Texas Freight Survey Assesses How Well the Transportation System is Serving Businesses
Researchers at TTI’s Transportation Policy Research Center recently completed the Texas Freight Pilot Survey, in which more than 500 respondents were presented with 12 transportation-related factors and were asked to rank how well the current transportation system is performing across four transportation infrastructures: highways, rail, ports, and border crossings. Results from the first-time survey identified “infrastructure […]
Award Winning Destination Aggieland App: New and Improved
The free Destination Aggieland mobile app, originally developed in 2014, has been updated and expanded for 2015. The app was created as part of the Kyle Field Transportation Plan commissioned by Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp to help fans get to and from the game as safely as possible, while also improving the […]
TTI Researchers Provide Testimony to Legislative Leaders on System Funding Needs
Transportation policy leaders in the Texas State Capitol met on September 10 to discuss future funding needs for the state’s transportation system. Ginger Goodin, Director of TTI’s Transportation Policy Research Center, and Brianne Glover, Assistant Research Scientist with the Infrastructure Investment Analysis Program, testified before the House Transportation Committee, Subcommittee on Long-term Infrastructure Planning. Their testimony featured estimates of […]
Scullion Receives Recognition Award from TxDOT
Citing his expertise, innovation and quality of research, managers within the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) have honored Tom Scullion of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) with a new award from the department: Researcher Award of Excellence. Scullion, a senior research engineer and manager of TTI’s Flexible Pavement Program, is renowned for his work […]
TTI and TxDOT: Teaming for Texas
Volume 51, Number 3 (2015) Adobe PDF version Inside This Issue: TTI and TxDOT: A Partnership of Vision, Expertise and Excellence for Texas TTI and TxDOT: Where State of the Art Meets State of the Practice TTI Creates New Methodology for Multimodal Assessment Seal Coats: Sharing Lessons Learned, Testing New Methods Troubleshooting Issues Before They’re […]
TTI and TxDOT: A Partnership of Vision, Expertise and Excellence for Texas
In 1948, the Texas Highway Department formed a unique relationship with the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. Led by the department’s vision for improving the Texas transportation system, Texas A&M’s engineering faculty became the go-to problem solvers for Texans. Two years later, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) was born. The Texas Department of […]
TTI and TxDOT: Where State of the Art Meets State of the Practice
Over the past 60 years, drivers have seen countless changes on Texas roadways — not only in how they’re used by drivers but in how they’re built and maintained. Yet one thing remains constant: the partnership between the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). These two agencies work together […]