COLLEGE STATION— U.S. Representative Tom DeLay and Texas A&M officials on Tuesday announced $1 million in federal funding to support advanced research in transportation operations and promote widespread implementation of the findings from that research.
The funding will be dedicated to the Transportation Research Implementation Consortium for Operations and Management (TRICOM), which is housed at the Texas Transportation Institute, a member of the Texas A&M University System, in College Station. The consortium will offer a boost to efforts initiated at Texas A&M and TTI in recent years, and help researchers bring those efforts to maturity.
“We commend Congressman DeLay for his foresight,” said TTI Director Herb Richardson. “He has always worked diligently to ensure the safest and most efficient transportation possible for this nation, and motorists everywhere are the beneficiaries of his vision.”
The research conducted in recent years at TTI involves Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), an application of computer and communications technologies designed to move traffic more efficiently along streets and freeways. Transportation experts regard ITS as an integral element in a comprehensive set of solutions to address problems created by growing levels of traffic congestion.
“Texas A&M researchers have made tremendous progress in applying current technologies to solve transportation problems and improve our nation’s mobility, but their work is not yet done,” DeLay said on Tuesday. “This funding will enable them to continue their important work, helping to make travel safer, more efficient, and less costly for motorists everywhere.”