In 2008, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) began its massive My35 Reconstruction Project to improve mobility and safety along 100 miles of I-35 in Central Texas. While most of the project is complete, Project 4B in Waco is currently underway, providing travelers improved traffic control, updated access roads and better interstate access locally. Since […]
Texas Transportation Researcher
From Space Travel to Roadway Safety: LiDAR Helps Identify Pavement Sections Prone to Hydroplaning
A technology once focused on aerospace applications half a century ago is finding new utility to improve the safety of driving surfaces in Texas thanks to evolving research at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). The effort employs LiDAR — or light detection and ranging — which calculates distances by transmitting a laser beam to […]
TTI Participates in TRB’s 100th Annual Meeting — Virtual for the First Time
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) was well represented at the 100th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Jan. 5–29. This was the first time in its history TRB has held the event virtually. The meeting program included more than 3,000 presentations addressing 350 sessions and workshops on topics aimed at policy makers, […]
TTI News
Transportation Planning Fellowship Named for TTI’s Andy Mullins The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved the Andy Mullins Transportation Planning Fellowship, established by colleagues at TTI. A TTI research scientist and the manager of TTI’s Travel Forecasting Program, Mullins passed away unexpectedly Oct. 22, 2020. His research explored travel demand modeling and transportation […]
Thinking Transportation… Good News, Bad News. A better grade for America’s infrastructure, but still no bragging rights.
TTI researchers Edith Arámbula Mercado and Charles Gurganus reflect on the American Society of Civil Engineer’s 2021 Infrastructure Report Card. They explain how taking care of America’s infrastructure is a lot like taking care of our homes — the longer you wait to make repairs, the more costly they can be. Download, listen and subscribe […]
The Last Stop with Greg Winfree: Harsher Weather? Build Better. Resiliency Should Be a Priority for Infrastructure Funding
In February, Texas suffered a brutal storm that made international news — an arctic blast knocked most of the state’s power grid offline and plunged millions of residents into darkness. The luckier folks only suffered rolling blackouts and had plenty of water. Others slept in their cars with the motor — and heater — running. […]
Human Connections: Tech Transfer During a Pandemic
Volume 56, Number 4 (2020) Adobe PDF version Inside This Issue: Texas DIR Recognizes TTI’s Smart Intersection Project for Benefiting Texans Despite Challenges, 2020 Transportation Short Course Sees Record Attendance Short Course Session Examines COVID-19’s Impacts on Transportation Planning College Students, Traffic Safety Professionals Attend Virtual 2020 U in the Driver Seat Symposium For a […]
Texas DIR Recognizes TTI’s Smart Intersection Project for Benefiting Texans
The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) highlighted the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Smart Intersection project as an accomplishment in its Biennial Performance Report published Nov. 15. DIR’s stated mission is to “serve Texas government by leading the state’s technology strategy, protecting state technology infrastructure, and offering innovative and cost-effective solutions for all levels […]
Despite Challenges, 2020 Transportation Short Course Sees Record Attendance
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) hosted the Ninety Fourth Annual Transportation Short Course Oct. 12–14, 2020. Traditionally held in person at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, travel restrictions and concerns for personal health in the era of COVID-19 forced planners to hold the event online for the first time in its near-century […]
Short Course Session Examines COVID-19’s Impacts on Transportation Planning
Sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and hosted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), the Ninety Fourth Annual Transportation Short Course occurred Oct. 12–14, 2020. The event was held virtually for the first time and brought together a record number of transportation industry experts to share best practices and insights into how […]
College Students, Traffic Safety Professionals Attend Virtual 2020 U in the Driver Seat Symposium
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) U in the Driver Seat (UDS) education and outreach program held its virtual 2020 UDS Symposium Oct. 7–9. Now in its eighth year, the symposium raises awareness about the leading cause of death for young adults ages 18–25 — traffic crashes. This year’s theme was “recharge to save lives […]
What We’re Thinking: For a Post-COVID America, Questions Focused on Disease Are Only the Start
By Ginger Goodin Recent news that preventive COVID-19 vaccines may soon be available suggests that we’re one step closer to answering one of the more dominant questions of our daily lives: How can we avoid falling victim to one of the most destructive diseases ever? And while that’s clearly the biggest question related to the […]
Big Data Goes Country: Integrating Speed and Weather Measures to Study Rural Roadway Safety
The term “big data” is ubiquitous these days in the transportation research world with usage from complex travel demand models to forecasting economic needs. Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers recently conducted a research project that examined the prevailing operating speeds on rural roadways on a large scale and determined how different measures of operating […]
TTI’s Teens in the Driver Seat Launches New App to Encourage Safety in Young Drivers
As a part of National Teen Driver Safety Week Oct. 18–24, teen advocates of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) Teens in the Driver Seat® (TDS) program launched its You in the Driver Seat (YDS) smartphone app via TTI and TDS social channels. The app encourages safer driving behaviors in young drivers aged 16 to […]
Researchers Develop Airport Economic Impact Estimator Tool
Whether providing justification for grants for airport upgrades or attempting to attract new development, having accurate and timely information about the economic impact of an airport is vital. The Small Airport Economic Estimator enables users to do just that by providing a set of vital economic data at the click of a mouse. The web […]
TTI Proving Grounds Crew Nearly Beats Crash Test Record, Despite COVID-19
Despite a worldwide pandemic that shut down businesses and kept most workers at home through the spring and much of the summer, 37 Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Roadside Safety and Physical Security Division employees have conducted a near-record number of crash tests. “Typically, we complete 50 to 60 crash tests each fiscal year here […]
TTI News
CARTEEH Researchers Publish First Book on Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Human Health Researchers from TTI’s Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy and Health (CARTEEH) recently published Traffic-Related Air Pollution, the first book to address traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) and its impacts on human health. TTI Associate Research Scientist Haneen Khreis served as lead […]
Conferences & Events
Learn something new! Attend one of our many transportation-related virtual conferences and events. Learn remotely without traveling and hotel expenses, and with reduced time constraints. Visit Event Management & Planning's Conferences and Events List On this page: Event Management & Planning's Conferences and Events For More Information For more information: Visit: https://events.tti.tamu.edu/conferences-and-events/
The Last Stop with Greg Winfree: The Human Factor in the Tech Transfer Equation — Effective Communication Requires Personal Connection
I’m a people person. I draw energy from interacting with other folks. I’ll take an in-person conversation over a phone call every time. But lately, traditional face-to-face contact has been supplanted by the virtual kind. COVID-19 has transformed how we interact. Worldwide, nearly 1.5 million folks have perished as I write this. For mutual protection, […]
Texas Innovations, Global Solutions
Volume 56, Number 3 (2020) Adobe PDF version Inside This Issue: TTI Advisory Council Meeting Goes Virtual Transportation Planning in Texas Has Deep Roots Thanks to TxDOT/TTI Relationship Road Safety Study During the Pandemic Shows Risk of Death or Injury Is Greater When Roads Are Clearer Counting Heads, Allocating Dollars – Decennial Population Projections Foretell […]