The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Advisory Council held its first-ever virtual annual meeting Sept. 22. The meeting is normally a two-day, in-person affair and was originally scheduled for the spring time frame, but due to continued COVID-related restrictions, TTI leadership decided to host the meeting virtually. The meeting commenced with a welcome and introductions […]
Texas Transportation Researcher
Transportation Planning in Texas Has Deep Roots Thanks to TxDOT/TTI Relationship
A little known but decades-long relationship between the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has led to the development of a popular travel demand model application tool. The tool is the Texas Package Suite of Programs (simply known as TexPACK), and it’s receiving praise from transportation professionals across the […]
Road Safety Study During the Pandemic Shows Risk of Death or Injury Is Greater When Roads Are Clearer
By Ann Kellett, Texas A&M University, Division of Marketing & Communications Special to the Texas Transportation Researcher The number of Texas traffic crashes in April dropped by almost 50 percent compared to 2017–2019 averages, according to a study by the Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). The number of […]
Counting Heads, Allocating Dollars – Decennial Population Projections Foretell a Transit Funding Boost for Texas
Like virtually all major transportation systems, public transit services are supported by federal funding. In fact, according to the Congressional Research Service, these funds accounted for 16.5 percent of transit revenues nationwide in 2017. Exactly how much annual federal funding comes to a given area in the United States hinges, in part, on the outcome […]
TTI/TxDOT-Developed Test Method Recognized as Official ASTM Standard for Erosion Control on Slopes
Building roads isn’t just about pouring pavement. Keeping the bed beneath the roadway stable is vital to avoid sooner-than-necessary maintenance and promote safety by preventing wear and tear. Controlling erosion around and below the roadbed itself is key to ensuring that roadbed stability. Further, uncontrolled erosion can negatively impact the environment as well by, for […]
TTI Research on I-20 Dallas Project Succeeds in Cutting Construction Time
Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers are working with multiple Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) districts on case study projects to accelerate overall pavement construction project times. Using a wide variety of pavement forensic evaluation tools and an innovative traffic control plan, the bulk of the work happens before letting a project and is intended […]
COVID-19 Uncertainty Leads to Opportunity: Record Attendance at the 2020 Texas Pedestrian Safety Forum
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) hosted the first-ever virtual Texas Pedestrian Safety Forum Aug. 6, 2020. Supported by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the TTI’s Center for Transportation Safety, the event focused on pedestrian safety issues. By moving to a virtual platform, the 2020 Texas Pedestrian Safety Forum team provided 588 people […]
With Both Floodwaters and Pandemics, Survival and Recovery Hinge on Being Prepared
The COVID-19 pandemic is testing America’s emergency responsiveness like never before. Adding a natural disaster to the mix (such as occurred with Hurricane Laura in August) has further stretched federal, state and local emergency management agencies’ capacity to deal with multiple threats at one time. In a perfect storm of this magnitude, first responders need […]
2020 Texas Child Passenger Safety (Virtual) Conference Provides a Realistic Event Experience
The 2020 Texas Child Passenger Safety Conference held Sept. 9–11 was the first virtual version of the event and the fourth such gathering to bring together child passenger safety technicians (CPSTs) from around the state of Texas. Sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and organized by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and […]
TTI News
TTI-Produced TRB Video Wins Multiple Telly Awards A five-minute video celebrating the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB’s) centennial has been awarded three 2020 Telly Awards. Produced by TTI for TRB, the video highlights the excitement and challenges of working in transportation research. The video premiered during TRB’s 99th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., in January. TRB, […]
Conferences & Events
Learn something new! Attend one of our many transportation-related virtual conferences and events. Learn remotely without traveling and hotel expenses, as well as 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: Partners in Problem-Solving — TTI and TxDOT Celebrate 70 Years of Teamwork
Seventy years! That’s how long TTI and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) have partnered to solve transportation problems for Texans. In 1950, the then-Texas Highway Department approached Texas A&M College to leverage the best and brightest academic minds to meet the most pressing challenges of the day: potholes, traffic snarls and threats to driver […]
TTI Kicks Safety into High Gear
Volume 56, Number 2 (2020) Adobe PDF version Inside This Issue: Texas’ Seven Deadly Safety Stats What We’re Thinking: Teleworking — The New Normal? YTS Program Adapts Young Driver Outreach for Online Learning Redesigned LookLearnLive.org Expands Content, Improves Usability Safer by Design: New TTI Tool Prioritizes Roadway Safety from the Get-Go A Galaxy Not So […]
Texas’ Seven Deadly Safety Stats*
* Statistics are relative to all Texas traffic crash fatalities (2010–2016) and taken from the Texas Strategic Highway Safety Plan website (https://www.texasshsp.com/).
What We’re Thinking: Teleworking — The New Normal?
By Melissa Tooley This article was originally published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 3, 2020. WHEN COMPANIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY recently announced new work-from-home policies in response to COVID-19, the news sent employees and companies alike into a tailspin, creating hardships for many. Workers scrambled to retrieve computers, files and supplies from their workplace and […]
YTS Program Adapts Young Driver Outreach for Online Learning
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) Youth Transportation Safety (YTS) program — part of the Institute’s Center for Transportation Safety — is active in schools and communities across the country. The program supports peer-led road safety education and outreach to encourage young drivers to practice safe driving behaviors. When schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, […]
Redesigned LookLearnLive.org Expands Content, Improves Usability
When Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Senior Research Scientist Michael Manser sought a redesign of LookLearnLive.org, his number-one priority was to improve its usability as a resource for stakeholders in motorcycle safety. The site supports the safety and awareness campaign developed by TTI, the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Department of Public Safety […]
Safer by Design: New TTI Tool Prioritizes Roadway Safety from the Get-Go
MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE — that’s the old carpenter’s adage aimed at improving quality and reducing error. A new tool created by researchers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) can help engineers achieve similar efficiencies when designing roadways while saving lives and reducing injuries. Typically, roadway designs are largely dictated by engineering decisions driven […]
A Galaxy Not So Far Away: Safety Innovation at the 2020 Virtual Traffic Safety Conference
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) hosted the first-ever virtual Traffic Safety Conference June 10–12, 2020. The conference, supported by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), focused on traffic safety issues and forward-looking research aligned with TxDOT’s goal to end all traffic fatalities on Texas roadways by 2050. For more information on the zero deaths […]
Groundbreaking Motorcycle Net Containment System for Concrete Barriers
For decades, concrete barriers have proven successful in helping vehicles stay on the roadway during a crash. Sometimes motorcyclists also crash into these barriers and are often injured or killed if thrown over the top. Researchers from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) Roadside Safety and Physical Security Division designed and tested a semi-rigid containment […]