By Jolanda Prozzi The current tropical storm season has barely begun, and we’re still recovering from the last one, mindful of a few sobering realities: Weather and climate disaster events — which include hurricanes and other major flooding — are becoming more frequent. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. suffered 203 […]
infrastructure
It’s High Time For a Discussion on Infrastructure
By Gregory Winfree and Zachary Grasley In August, we mark 11 years since the Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing 13 people and injuring 145 more. For anyone not living there, or otherwise not personally affected by that tragedy, the anniversary will likely pass without a single thought as to […]
TTI Helps Develop Innovative Flood Warning System for Houston
Flooding has plagued Houston roadways for decades, but now, thanks to a first-of-its-kind warning system initiated by Houston TranStar and developed by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), motorists will be warned in real time about locations where roadway flooding is likely occurring. “Houston was ground zero for Hurricane Harvey last year, and the world […]
TTI’s Ling and Lytton Awarded Best Paper by International Association
A National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) project describing a new mechanical-based method for testing aged asphalt led to international recognition for two Texas A&M Transportation Institute employees: Postdoctoral Researcher Meng Ling and TTI Research Engineer Robert Lytton. “An Inverse Approach to Determine Complex Modulus Gradient of Field-aged Asphalt Mixtures” was named a 2017 Best […]
At a Glance — By the Numbers: The Center for Infrastructure Renewal
Located at The Texas A&M University System’s RELLIS Campus See related story. *The Center for Infrastructure Renewal is a shared facility of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
Texas A&M’s Center for Infrastructure Renewal Cuts the Ribbon on Infrastructure Innovations for State, Nation
Credited with acquiring the legislative funding needed for The Texas A&M University System’s Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR), Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was the special guest for the center’s ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Texas A&M’s RELLIS Campus April 11. The 138,000-square-foot, multidisciplinary research center boasts state-of-the-art research facilities and laboratories aimed at making infrastructure […]
3M Investment at A&M, TTI Will Advance Connected and Automated Vehicle Technology
First major industry partnership at the RELLIS Campus On Tuesday, May 8, 3M Company announced a $1.6 million investment in The Texas A&M University System’s evolving RELLIS Campus. The funding will be used to build a simulated rain range to support research by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and Texas A&M University in connected […]
CIR Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Highlights Expected Infrastructure Innovations for State, Nation
Credited with acquiring the legislative funding needed for The Texas A&M University System’s Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR), Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick was the special guest for the center’s ribbon-cutting ceremony held on the RELLIS Campus April 11. The 138,000-square-foot, multidisciplinary research center boasts state-of-the-art research facilities and laboratories aimed at making infrastructure smarter, […]
Bubble, Bubble. Toil. No Trouble. TTI Researchers Investigate Mysterious Pavement Behaviors Following Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey’s impact on Texas was unprecedented in many ways, including rainfall amounts, property damage and human misery. There was also unprecedented disruption and damage to Texas roadways. About a mile of SH 6 in Harris County, from Clay Road to I-10, was covered with up to 7 feet of water for 14 days. Multiple […]
Building on a Foundation of Shared Trust, Vision: TTI and Texas A&M’s Zachry Department of Civil Engineering Look Toward the Future
In 1950, Texas A&M College already enjoyed a 40-year reputation for innovative road materials research. That, combined with the college’s land-grant mission of public service, made it a natural home for the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). The shared connection between academic learning and applied research was embodied in TTI’s first director, Fred Benson, who […]
Texas A&M National Infrastructure Symposium Summaries Released
The need for efforts to relieve regulatory restrictions, prepare for automated and connected vehicles, and educate the public about how infrastructure is funded were a few of the key themes of the National Symposium on the Barriers and Opportunities for Infrastructure Renewal, held on the Texas A&M University campus at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center […]
A Partnership in Progress: TTI, USDOT Celebrate a Half Century of Research Innovations
For the past 50 years, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has provided assistance to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to make the nation’s transportation system safer, more efficient and more resilient. Across the DOT’s spectrum of modal agencies—air, highways, motor carriers, rail, transit, maritime, traffic safety, and pipeline and hazardous materials—TTI expertise has […]
Seeing the Road in a Different LIDAR
When we think of a roadway, most of us think of the asphalt or concrete we’re riding on, not the ditches lining the roads or how efficiently water flows off those roads following a rainstorm. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has come up with an automated way of determining whether those ditches are doing […]
Restoring Our Infrastructure: Resilient. Reliable. Sustainable.
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has partnered with the Texas Department of Transportation for nearly 70 years to enhance the safety, mobility and reliability of the state’s transportation system. The trust and seamless interaction we’ve developed as partners were never more important than during Hurricane Harvey, when TTI personnel continuously updated Houston’s traffic management […]
TTI and 3M Expand Research Partnership at RELLIS Campus
The Texas A&M University System has signed a five-year master agreement with 3M that expands on a decades-long partnership between 3M and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) to develop roadway signage and pavement marking technologies. The master agreement, which came about as a result of the availability of transportation testing facilities and expertise located […]
Seeing the Road in a Different LIDAR
When we think of a roadway, most of us think of the asphalt or concrete that we are riding on. Little thought is given to the ditches that line our roads or how the water flows off our roadways. A Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) researcher has come up with an automated way of determining […]
Texas A&M’s Infrastructure Renewal Symposium Brings Together Industry Experts, Leaders to Discuss Critical Issues
Optimism about future transportation funding and new efforts to modify regulatory restrictions were prominent themes of Texas A&M University’s National Symposium on the Barriers and Opportunities for Infrastructure Renewal, held at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center Sept. 18. Members of the Trump Administration and other high-level state and federal officials, as well as private-sector stakeholders, […]
New Textbook, Workshop Focus on Improving Pavements by Combining Science and Computational Analysis
Researchers with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) have combined their expertise to author Modeling and Design of Flexible Pavements and Materials, a first-of-its-kind book with the potential to transform the way pavements are installed. The approach emphasizes the use of computational modeling to create longer-lasting, less-costly pavements. The authors will share their methodologies and […]
At a Glance: Highlights from ASCE’s 2017 Infrastructure Report Card
Our Aging Infrastructure The nation’s infrastructure is crumbling. The highways, railroads, pipelines, wastewater systems, bridges, ports and inland waterways essential to America’s economy are suffering from a combination of spiraling demand, benign neglect and advancing age. See related story. *Source: American Society of Civil Engineers, 2017. http://infrastructurereportcard.org
Helping Agencies Manage Infrastructure Renewal: TTI’s Asset Management Group
As in 2013, ASCE once again rated America’s infrastructure a D+ in its latest 2017 assessment. Although several categories, such as ports and rail, achieved modest improvements, others declined. And six core categories that many think of when they think of infrastructure itself — including bridges, roads and aviation — remained unchanged from four years […]