This is my final issue of the Texas Transportation Researcher as agency director of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). I want to take the opportunity to thank all of you who have followed and supported the Institute over many years. The most enjoyable part of being TTI’s director has been having the opportunity to […]
Volume 52, Number 4
Follow the Leader: Two-Truck Automated Platoon Test Is a Winner
Can an automated, commercial two-truck platoon be deployed on specific corridors in Texas in the next five to ten years? Thanks to a successful test by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the agencies are one big step closer to answering that question. […]
Survey Says: More Texans Turning to Phone Apps, Websites to Avoid Traffic
Texans are relying more on information from smartphones and websites to make routine travel decisions than they did two years ago, according to new research from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). Conducted this summer, the survey found that 70 percent of respondents had recently used a smartphone app for navigation or route guidance, up […]
TTI Investigates Traffic Safety Impacts of Marijuana Use
As part of a new Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) project, Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers are looking into Texans’ attitudes on marijuana use and analyzing the traffic safety impacts in states that have legalized, decriminalized or made marijuana available for medical purposes. Several U.S. states have relaxed their marijuana laws, and during the […]
Spike in Pedestrian/Bicyclist Deaths Prompts Year-Long Study by TxDOT
A sharp increase in the number of pedestrian fatalities in Texas has prompted researchers with the Center for Transportation Safety at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) to examine what factors contributed to the 550 deaths in 2015 — nearly a 13 percent increase from the year before. In fact, since 2010, pedestrian fatalities have […]
Winfree Appointed to Lead Texas A&M Transportation Institute
On December 12, 2016, The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents appointed former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Gregory D. Winfree, J.D., as agency director for the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). Winfree began his new role on December 15, replacing Dennis L. Christiansen, P.E., Ph.D., who stepped down after […]
TTI Provides Guidance for Maintaining Pavements at General Aviation Airports
All airports have one thing in common: pavement, and a lot of it. In fact, in many cases, maintaining runways represents the largest expenditure at an airport. It’s critical that airport management inspect and maintain its pavements in a timely fashion for safety reasons and to avoid costly, full-pavement rehabilitation projects. Researchers at the Texas […]
A Platform for Change: TTI Provides FHWA a New Way to Test CV/AV Technologies
Self-driving cars. Seamless communication between vehicles and the roadside. The ability to multitask while driving from point A to point B reliably, safely and on time. It all sounds a bit like the George Jetson future we were promised in the 1960s, minus the flying cars. The difference is that the connected vehicle/automated vehicle (CV/AV) […]
TTI Selected for $10.75 Million Federal Contract to Evaluate Connected Vehicle Projects
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has been selected by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to evaluate connected vehicle projects in southern Wyoming, New York City, and Tampa, Fla. The multiyear federal contract is for $10.75 million. Vehicle challenges and opportunities have driven the need for the pilot tests and evaluations. Roadway congestion in the […]
Visionary Leader: Christiansen’s Vision Led TTI to New Opportunities, Steady Growth
When The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents selected Dr. Dennis Christiansen as the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) fifth agency director in late 2006, the board tapped a seasoned leader, with 35 years of experience in advancing the national and international reputation of TTI already under his belt. In the subsequent 10 years […]
TTI-Led Team Develops New Guidebook for States Implementing Intercity Passenger Rail
The world seems to be moving faster. Our transportation system, however, seems to be slowing down. Expanding economies place increasing demands on our current transportation system. While economic growth is good, increased freight and commuter traffic is filling roadways that, when built 50 years ago, seemed luxurious in their emptiness. Given this reality, how can […]
TTI Participates in Groundbreaking for New State-of-the-Art Center for Infrastructure Renewal
Roadways and bridges are aging at a faster rate than they can be repaired. The U.S. power grid is more than 130 years old and vulnerable to natural disasters and terror attacks. And the safety and security of our nation’s oil, gas, water and wastewater pipeline systems is an increasing concern. Modernizing infrastructure will require […]
TTI Awarded Major FHWA Safety R&D Contract
Recognized for its longstanding history of excellence in safety research, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has been awarded a multiyear, multimillion-dollar contract by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety Research and Development. The contract, which could provide as much as $50 million in funding over the next five years, supports the FHWA […]
The Power of Partnership: 90th Annual Transportation Short Course Focuses on the Future
Continuing the beneficial relationship between the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and state universities was the underlying message of this year’s Transportation Short Course, hosted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and held on the Texas A&M University campus Oct. 10–12. As part of its longstanding research partnership with TxDOT, TTI has hosted the […]
TTI Advisory Council Annual Meeting
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Advisory Council met in College Station Oct. 19–20, 2016, at the Thomas D. Hildebrand, DVM ’56 Equine Complex on the Texas A&M University campus. The meeting began with a reception, dinner and update on the Port of Houston Authority from Roger Guenther, Port Authority executive director and TTI Advisory […]
Teens in the Driver Seat® Launches Driver App to Curb Distracted Driving
As part of National Teen Driver Safety Week in October, teen advocates of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Teens in the Driver Seat® (TDS) program launched Teen Driver, a new smartphone app created by MobiSoft Infotech, LLC. The launch was held at Creekview High School in Carrollton, Texas, and highlighted the app’s functionality, as […]
TTI News
Hall of Honor Inducts Dwight D. Eisenhower Former President Dwight David Eisenhower was inducted into the Texas Transportation Hall of Honor Dec. 6 in a ceremony at the Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site in Denison, Texas. Eisenhower’s induction recognizes his leadership in creating the U.S. Interstate Highway System, which is 60 years old this year. […]
TTI Publications
Research Videos Access the research topics listed below via the URLs shown. Commercial Truck Platooning: Phase 1 Demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dydR15tgeKo&t=2s Connected Vehicle Wrong-Way Driving Detection and Mitigation Demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_DkTNq45g4 Continued Implementation of High Performance Thin Overlays in Texas Districts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV37q-H-fWk Freight Movement Redefined: https://vimeo.com/183842437 Making Traffic Demand Models More Realistic Representations of Congestion: https://vimeo.com/170486486