This week, Apr. 9–13, 2018, is National Work Zone Awareness Week. This year’s theme is “Work Zone Safety: Everybody’s Responsibility.” Across the country, various agencies will work together to promote safe driving habits in work zones with an emphasis on reminding drivers that work zone safety awareness starts with those behind the wheel. The Texas […]
National Work Zone Awareness Week 2018 — Work Zone Safety: Everybody’s Responsibility
Roadway Deaths are Rising, and Self-driving Cars Don’t Yet Make a Difference
By Gregory Winfree and Robert Wunderlich Published in TribTalk, a publication of the Texas Tribune on April 3, 2018 Roadway crash deaths, after a brief but sharp drop several years ago, are rising again. Equally troubling is the likelihood that this trend may continue. And before we jump on the self-driving bandwagon, let’s remember that […]
CARTEEH’s Khreis Shares Passion for Health Studies with TTI
The newest researcher in the Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy and Health (CARTEEH) of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is determined to make environmental health a prominent and permanent fixture of the Institute’s research initiatives going forward. And she’s off to a good start. Assistant Research Scientist Haneen Khreis began her […]
WTS Scholarship Awarded to TTI’s Safe-D Graduate Student
TTI Graduate Research Assistant Sirajum (Silvy) Munira is the recipient of a $7,000 scholarship from the Houston Chapter of the Woman’s Transportation Seminar (WTS). The Helene M. Overly scholarship was awarded at the WTS Gala in Houston in March. It’s a competitive scholarship awarded to women pursuing graduate studies in the transportation field. WTS is […]
Texas Transportation Hall of Honor 2018 Call for Nominations
The Texas Transportation Hall of Honor board is accepting nominations for 2018 inductees until July 31, 2018. Texas is recognized as having one of the finest multimodal transportation systems in the world. The existence of this system has been a key aspect of the economic development of the state and in providing Texans with a […]
TTI Signs Agreement with Smart City Institute in Belgium
TTI’s smart cities research focus gained an international partner on March 9 when the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Smart City Institute (SCI) of the University of Liège in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. The purpose of the MOU, which was signed by TTI Agency Director Greg Winfree and SCI […]
Unique Transportation-Related Curriculum Being Developed to Inspire Students
After years of inspiring students with their demonstrations of street sign and pavement marking retroreflectivity, researchers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) have developed a no-cost curriculum that will soon be available to teachers across the country. The curriculum project was made possible with funding from the Safety Through Disruption (Safe-D) University Transportation Center […]
TTI’s Jim Kruse Featured in TR News
Jim Kruse, Texas A&M Transportation Institute research scientist and director of the Center for Ports & Waterways, has been profiled in the January/February 2018, edition of the National Academy of Sciences publication, TR News. In the profile, Kruse discusses his research involving waterborne freight transportation and its multimodal connections—work that covers a range of ever-changing […]
Driverless Vehicles Hit the Road in Texas
The push toward autonomous vehicles is strong in the Lone Star State, home of the Texas AV Proving Grounds Partnership. If you think your car will be driving you anytime in the near future, think again. Known as driverless or self-driving vehicles, autonomous vehicles are in the spotlight. But while the auto, tech and ride-share […]
Energy Secretary Perry Tours RELLIS Campus, Meets TTI Researchers
In introducing U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry during his visit to the Texas A&M University System’s RELLIS Campus on Feb. 16, Chancellor John Sharp said Perry, A&M Class of ‘72, is making Aggies everywhere proud. Perry, the first Aggie Governor of the state of Texas, spoke at the newly completed Center for Infrastructure Renewal […]
Driving High vs. Driving Drunk: We Still Have a Lot to Learn
By Troy Walden, Ph.D. At more than 10,000 in 2015, the number of alcohol-related traffic deaths in the U.S. has remained relatively constant in recent years, representing nearly a third of all highway fatalities. The total tends to change by only a few percentage points from year to year. At roughly the same time, though, […]
We Need Automatic Braking on Trains, but It’s Going to Take a Lot of Hard Work
Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s Gregory Winfree, J.D., and Allan Rutter weigh in on rail safety A number of high-profile passenger rail crashes have captured public attention recently. Although their circumstances may differ, the tragedies are a grim reminder that train safety belongs high on our list of transportation policy priorities. A long-distance train from New […]
TTI Partners with MSU to Study Workforce Changes from Connected, Automated Vehicles
Transportation jobs of the future, especially driver jobs, may be dramatically different thanks to the impact that connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) will have on the transportation industry. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is taking part in a workforce study designed to inform policymakers, employers and employees of the inevitable changes, and the potential […]
TTI/TAMUS Members Schedule of Presentations at TRB
TTI and Texas A&M University Zachry Department of Civil Engineering researchers were selected to present papers at the annual Transportation Research Board (TRB) meeting this month on multiple topics, ranging from infrastructure and safety, to economics and the environment. The TRB 97th Annual Meeting will be held January 7–11, 2018, at the Walter E. Washington Convention […]
Taking Border Performance to the Next Level
by Sushant Sharma In the transportation research business, we use the term “performance measurement” when we measure how a certain aspect of our transportation system is operating. For example, through crash reporting we can tell you with certainty how safe a road is operating, or, through commute times, how well traffic is flowing. Safety and […]
Austin Region Ridesharing Survey Now Open
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute are seeking your input regarding if and/or how the entry and exit of ridesharing companies in and out of the Austin market may have impacted your travel behavior. Please visit the Austin Region Transportation Network Company Survey to share your experiences, attitudes […]
TTI Shines at 97th Annual Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting
Numerous Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers and students were recognized during the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 97th Annual Meeting January 7–11, in Washington, D.C. This year’s gathering of transportation professionals from around the globe included more than 5,000 presentations in nearly 800 sessions and workshops. TTI Executive Associate Director Katie Turnbull was officially appointed […]
TTI Headquarters Building at RELLIS Campus Reaches Milestone
The topping out ceremony for the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) new headquarters building Jan. 18 turned into an appreciation ceremony for the building’s construction workers, of TTI itself, and for the vision that made TTI’s location at the Texas A&M University System’s RELLIS Campus possible. Hundreds of construction workers, System dignitaries, TTI leadership and […]
TTI’s Center for Railway Research
Tracking the Future for the Rail Industry With 140,000 miles of rail track in the United States, a lot can go wrong. From studying metal fatigue and railway buckling to mitigating track bed deterioration and worn-out, rotted crossties, the Center for Railway Research (CRR) at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) helps the rail industry […]
TTI’s Tradition of Teamwork
We close out this 53rd volume of the Texas Transportation Researcher by celebrating a number of milestones the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has reached with a wide array of our research sponsors. TTI was founded at Texas A&M University as a research support arm for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), which remains our […]