The Global Level Crossing and Trespass Symposium is a biennial event that brings together engineering, safety and security professionals from highway, rail, law enforcement and regulatory authorities around the world. The symposium provides an opportunity to exchange information and share best practices to improve the safety of the at‐grade interface between highway and rail systems. […]
2014 Global Level Crossing Safety Symposium Set For August 3-8
Villa Appointed to Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness
Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Program Manager Juan Villa was recently appointed to the International Trade Administration’s Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness. The committee was established in 2011 to provide the Secretary of Commerce with detailed advice on the elements of a comprehensive national freight infrastructure and freight policy to support U.S. supply chain […]
New Rapid-Flash Beacon Shows Great Promise in Improving Driver Yielding to Pedestrians
For many pedestrians, crossing a multilane busy roadway without the protection of a traffic signal is a nerve-wracking proposition, even when using a crosswalk. Help is coming, though, as research into a recently-developed rapid-flash beacon has shown significantly positive results—an increase in the number of drivers yielding to pedestrians. One of those projects is a […]
TTI’s Safety Center Expands Research Opportunities Through New ATLAS Center
The nation’s two largest university-based transportation research institutes have joined forces to form a unique University Transportation Center (UTC) designed to improve safety through a multidisciplinary, systems approach. The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) — which will lead the efforts — and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) will form the UTC, called […]
Briaud Receives Distinguished Member Status at ASCE
Research Engineer Jean-Louis Briaud has been selected as a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Society’s highest honor. ASCE, representing 145,000 members worldwide, selected 11 members for its 2014 Distinguished Member class. The new members will be formally inducted at the Global Engineering Conference in Panama City, Panama this fall. […]
Christiansen Editorial in the Texas Lyceum Journal Focuses on Transportation Infrastructure
Dennis Christiansen, agency director of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), recently wrote an editorial for the 2012-2013 Texas Lyceum journal. The editorial examines the state of transportation in Texas, where rapid growth and shrinking resources have stretched the transportation infrastructure to its limits, threatening the state’s economy and quality of life. The full text […]
Transportation Infrastructure in Texas: The Needs and the Numbers
By Dennis L. Christiansen, P.E. Agency Director, Texas A&M Transportation Institute Had the Texas Lyceum met at a conference to discuss Texas infrastructure a little over 100 years ago, say in 1911, the need for roads and “getting the farmer out of the mud” was a major agenda item. Had the conference met about 70 […]
Traffic Safety Conference Breaks Attendance Record
A record number of people attended this year’s Traffic Safety Conference, organized by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s Center for Transportation Safety (CTS). More than 300 people attended the statewide event in San Antonio, Texas, May 12–14. The event, now in its sixth year, usually attracts about 200 people. “We tried to expand and diversify […]
Villa Presents on Trade Growth, Border Issues at NAFTANEXT Summit
On January 1, 1994, a landmark free-trade agreement known as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the United States, Canada and Mexico took effect. One of the main objectives of the free-trade agreement was to eliminate tariff barriers, as well as non-tariff barriers, on goods and services within 15 years. NAFTA created the […]
ARTBA Women Leaders Council Featured in U.S. DOT’s Public Roads Magazine
The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Women Leaders Council was recently featured in U.S. DOT’s Public Roads magazine – the article “Making Inroads for Women in Transportation” is co-written by Susan Kurland, Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs. Created in 1902, ARTBA is a federation with the primary goal of aggressively growing […]
Safetynet | 2014, Vol. 1 Now Available
The newest issue of the Center for Transportation Safety’s newsletter is available. Sign up to receive Safetynet via email. In this issue: Texas drivers report improvements in some safety behaviors Meet Mike Manser CTS researcher teaches child passenger safety in Puerto Rico CTS expands research opportunities through new ATLAS Center Register for the 2014 Traffic Safety Conference
TTI Researchers Identify Elusive Relationship Between Safety and Pavement Marking Brightness
In what is described as a key breakthrough regarding safer nighttime driving, Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers have identified a technique for developing safety-based retroreflectivity criteria for pavement markings. The technique, described in a Transportation Research Board paper submitted by TTI Senior Research Engineer Paul Carlson and TTI Associate Research Scientist Raul Avelar, quantifies […]
New Study: “Other Drivers” Are a Bigger Threat on the Road
Three-fourths of Texas drivers in a recent survey say they have talked on a cell phone behind the wheel within the past month, about the same number as those who reported speeding. Nearly half say they have texted while driving, slightly more than the number who ran a stop sign or red light. Financial services […]
Business Aviation, Airport Marketing Key Topics at Texas Aviation Conference
Spreading the word about the importance of business aviation and airport marketing were key topics at the 2014 Texas Aviation Conference. This year’s conference had over 500 attendees, and for the first time in its 32-year history, was held in Dallas. Conference participants included airport sponsors, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) employees, consultants, contractors and […]
National Work Zone Awareness Week Focuses on Speed
Roadway work zones are hazardous both for motorists who navigate through lane changes and slowed speeds and for the dedicated workers whose office is often mere feet away from moving vehicles. Each year in April, National Work Zone Awareness Week is held to bring national attention to motorist and worker safety and mobility issues in work zones. […]
Early Registration Extended For the 2014 Traffic Safety Conference
The early registration period for the 2014 Traffic Safety Conference has been extended through Friday, April 11. This year’s conference, held at the Westin Riverwalk – San Antonio, will include three workshops, 16 breakout session and student poster presentations on safety research. The breakout sessions will be on a variety of topics, including: Teen driving Motorcycle […]
Brydia Article Featured in ITS International
Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Research Scientist Bob Brydia recently wrote an article for the ITS International magazine about the traveller information system for the I-35 project. TxDOT is using an advanced construction traveller information system to keep the public informed and enhance safety and mobility during the multiple years of construction. TTI was contracted to […]
Event Aims to Educate College-age Students on Preventing Impaired Driving
The U in the Driver Seat program and Texas Department of Transportation teamed up on March 28 and 29 for the inaugural Peer-to-Peer Impaired Driving Prevention Symposium at Texas State University. The event aimed to educate college-aged students about the impaired driving problem and introduce peer-driven efforts that can be used at colleges and universities […]
Carpool Ridesharing App Project Underway
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), with support from the Federal Highway Administration’s Value Pricing Pilot Program, recently began a multi-year study to test the use of real-time ridesharing technology to verify the occupancy of a vehicle and to evaluate the effects of toll discounts. The project is being conducted jointly with the Central Texas […]
TTI Advises Traveling Public to Utilize Information Available for 96-mile Construction Zone Between Hillsboro and Salado
The I-35 corridor is getting an overhaul between Hillsboro and Salado. There is new traveler information available to you. Frequent night time lane closures in this span of construction could cause some travel delay to Dallas, Austin and San Antonio I-35 commuters who travel through this area. As motorists who regularly travel I-35 through Central […]