News Archives

In March 2007, TTI researchers began monitoring drivers who volunteered for a variety of projects designed to study human behavior with the help of a $100,000 ‘smart car.’ TTI’s Instrumented Vehicle is a 2006 Toyota Highlander equipped with numerous video cameras, a Global Positioning System (GPS), radar and an on-board computer that is able to […]

In 2000, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) began constructing sections of eight heavily traveled roadways (mainly on I-35 between Laredo and Dallas) with thick, 15- to 20-inch asphalt layers. The hope was that the extra cost of so-called “perpetual pavements” would be recouped over their estimated 50-year lifespan since reconstruction would not be necessary. […]

A prestigious “best paper” award was given to a team of TTI researchers during the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 87th Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. The paper, “License Plate and Telephone Numbers in Changeable Message Sign AMBER Alert Messages” won the D. Grant Mickle Award for outstanding paper in the field of operation, safety and […]

At only 23, paramedic Garrett Placke has a lot to look forward to. Following his crash into a guardrail, he says he owes the rest of his life to TTI and Trinity Industries. It was raining that Sunday afternoon as he traveled toward College Station on State Highway 47, ironically, not far from the entrance […]

President Bush appointee Paul Brubaker, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), told TTI employees, “The world is going to look very, very different in 10 years.” Brubaker was referring to the nation’s growing and shifting population, the price of oil and the challenge of financing infrastructure projects. […]

In her first visit to TTI, Rep. Lois Kolkhorst was introduced to numerous facets of transportation research. The District 13 State Representative met with the Institute’s Leadership Team on Nov. 19 during an informal gathering at Riverside Campus. The Brenham, Texas, native is in her fourth term representing Austin, Grimes, Walker and Washington Counties. Cathy […]

In the continuing effort to reduce the number of collisions between deer and vehicles, a symposium, headed up by the director of the Deer-Vehicle Crash Information and Research Center (DVCIR Center) at TTI, Keith Knapp, was held at the New York State Department of Transportation in Schenectady. Nationwide there are an estimated one million deer-vehicle […]

The 2007 TTI/Trinity Research Champion Award has been presented to Dr. Robert J. Reilly, the former director of the Cooperative Research Program at the Transportation Research Board. “Bob Reilly is much deserving of this award,” noted Director Dennis Christiansen. “Under his 22 year leadership, the program has grown dramatically. Bob established the hallmarks of the […]

Most teenage driving fatalities happen at night and, based on a survey by TTI researchers, teens really are in the dark about the dangers associated with nighttime driving. That was the message of an Austin news conference conducted by the Teens in the Driver Seat (TDS) Program Oct. 30, just days before the end of […]

With a growing population and improved economy, Argentina is facing some unique challenges related to highway safety and road construction and design. The Asociación Argentina de Carreteras (Argentine Roads Association) and the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) will be working together to find transportation solutions in Latin America. The agreement was signed by the president of […]

The opening session of the 81st Annual Transportation Short Course highlighted past achievements of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) while acknowledging the challenges ahead for Texas transportation professionals. Dr. Dennis L. Christiansen, director of the Texas Transportation Institute, and Dr. Michael D. McKinney, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System, welcomed TxDOT and members […]

The stately board room in the Texas Department of Transportation’s historic Dewitt Greer Building in Austin was an apt setting for the induction ceremony of three transportation visionaries into the Texas Transportation Hall of Honor on September 25. The class of 2007 includes J.C. Dingwall, Ernest E. Howard and Marcus L. Yancey, Jr. Texas Transportation […]

COLLEGE STATION, TX — Traffic congestion continues to worsen in American cities of all sizes, creating a $78 billion annual drain on the U.S. economy in the form of 4.2 billion lost hours and 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel—that’s 105 million weeks of vacation and 58 fully-loaded supertankers. These are among the key findings […]

The newly formed University Transportation Center for Mobility (UTCM) at the Texas Transportation Institute is opening new doors for researchers and educators to pursue projects for mobility enhancement. Congestion management and mitigation, nationwide mobility, rural public transportation and infrastructure financing have far-reaching implications in the lives of every American. For this reason the UTCM is […]

Barring delays from anticipated legal challenges, Mexican trucks will soon be allowed into the U.S. interior to haul goods from and then back to Mexico. However, Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers who have worked along the Texas/Mexico border do not expect an inundation of Mexican trucks into the United States. “I was surprised to learn […]

U.S. Representative Chet Edwards was in College Station at the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Aug. 27, announcing he has secured another $600,000 for a Transportation Management Center (TMC) that could become a model for other small to mid-size towns facing congestion and other traffic problems. Edwards made the announcement at TTI’s Translink® Laboratory, which might […]

Protecting and preserving water quality is one of the primary goals of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The Texas Transportation Institute’s Environmental Management Program supports these agencies through research and testing, particularly in the area of erosion control. Ironically—due in part to record rainfall this summer—Texas […]

Production for a statewide motorcycle safety campaign is underway by the Texas Transportation Institute. The Texas Department of Transportation and Department of Public Safety project is set to begin in September and will include billboards like the one shown to the right, a safety video, logo, website and materials urging riders to attend a DPS […]

A research project designed to make drivers safer in rainy, night-time conditions is in its final stage, with a report due out this year. The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) project funded by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will determine what pavement marking systems perform best under adverse weather conditions. A 1,600 foot “rain tunnel” […]

The recent rains in Texas have forced many lakes and rivers to flood stage, highlighting the importance of the bridge research the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) is conducting with funding from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Currently, 600 of the 40,000 bridges in Texas are on the ‘scour-critical list,’ which pinpoints those bridges that […]