The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has a varied and productive history of applied research for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program. These projects provide excellent value by solving the myriad of problems facing transportation professionals. Two recent projects in the pavement area, Short-Term Laboratory Conditioning of Asphalt Mixtures and The Effects of Recycling Agents […]
infrastructure
Winfree Emphasizes Timing as Key to the Future of Transportation in GRIDSMART’s #talkITS Magazine Article
Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Agency Director Greg Winfree explores the outer reaches of tomorrow’s transportation system — along with the tools and resources needed to get there — in a recent #talkITS magazine article. His article, “Timing is Everything: Technology, education, and tomorrow’s transportation workforce,” was published in the Fall 2019 issue of the […]
Is That Road Made of Recycled Asphalt? If It’s Done Right, You Will Never Know
Recycled pavement saves money and the environment. By Amy Epps Martin and Edith Arambula Ask just about anybody to name the most recycled material in America, and you’re likely to get some predictable responses: Aluminum cans. Plastic bottles. Glass bottles. Paper. Each guess is logical. And each one is wrong. That’s because 99% of reclaimed […]
TTI Researcher Arambula Featured in Asphalt Pavement Article
TTI Associate Research Engineer Edith Arambula’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program project on evaluating the use of recycling agents was recently featured in an article for Asphalt Pavement. Taking RAP to the Max examines the barriers that prevent the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), which is stockpiled throughout the country, and what can be […]
Infrastructure Week 2019–#BuildForTomorrow
May 13-20 is the 7th annual Infrastructure Week. This year’s message emphasizes that America’s future will be shaped by the infrastructure choices we make today. So let’s #BuildForTomorrow. The Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR), located on the RELLIS Campus, is a state-of-the-art research center that is the leading source for developing transformative infrastructure solutions. The […]
At a Glance — Dollars and Sense: The Texas Rural Transportation Network
See related story.
What We’re Thinking: Why Maintaining a Lone Desert Highway Matters to Us All
By Katie Turnbull This article was originally published in Dallas News, Dec. 26, 2018. For all the contrasts that distinguish urban and rural Texans, one thing that unites us all is the need for reliable transportation. Exactly what that reliable transportation looks like depends on where we choose to live. Regardless of that choice, certain […]
At a Glance — The Oil and Gas Energy Sector in Texas (2018)
See related story. 1 Baker Hughes. North America Rig Count. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=79687&p=irol-reportsother. 2 Railroad Commission of Texas. Monthly Drilling, Completion and Plugging Summaries. http://www.rrc.texas.gov/oil-gas/research-and-statistics/well-information/monthly-drilling-completion-and-plugging-summaries/.
What We’re Thinking: Rural Texas Highways Give Us a Reliable Path to the Pump
By Bill Stockton This article was originally published in The Texas Tribune, November 14, 2018. Your car’s next tank of gas is on its way to you. You can be assured of that, even though the journey it takes to get there is a sometimes arduous one. That journey could begin at one of hundreds […]
Decisions, Decisions: Lane Choices Aren’t as Simple as We Thought
Plastic or paper. Decaf or regular. Cash or credit. Consumers make choices every day. Whether it’s about how we shop, how we dine, or how we purchase goods and services, most of our decisions are pretty straightforward. We know what we want, and we know why. When it comes to how we commute, however, things […]
Fingerprinting Asphalt: New Handheld Testing Device Ensures Binder Quality
Ensuring that asphalt binders don’t contain too many contaminates can be key to ensuring a longer-lasting roadway. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is implementing use of an innovative technology in a new test method and updated specifications developed during a two-year study conducted by the Materials and Pavements Division of the Texas A&M Transportation […]
TTI Travels to Africa for a Transportation Improvement Expedition
A week-long visit to Namibia by the leaders of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) in October continued a longtime working relationship with that country but lays the groundwork for relationships with numerous other African countries. Agency Director Greg Winfree, Assistant Director Joe Zietsman and Associate Research Engineer Tara Ramani met with the country’s Roads […]
Finding a Better Way to Reason With Hurricane Season
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 […]
At a Glance — On the Road Again in Texas: TxDOT’s Projected Costs and Potential Savings with Accelerated Construction
1 Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). “Texas Transportation Asset Management Plan” (forthcoming). 2 TxDOT. Unified Transportation Program. (2019). http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/tpp/utp/2019/utp-2019.pdf. Accessed October 4, 2018. 3 TxDOT. Accelerated Construction Guidelines. (2018). http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot/cst/regional-workshops/accelerated-construction-guidelines.pdf. Accessed October 4, 2018.
What We’re Thinking: It’s High Time for a Discussion on Infrastructure
By Greg Winfree and Zachry Grasley This article was originally published in The Hill, August 20, 2018. This year, 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, […]
Faster, Safer, Less Expensive Road Construction Through Utility Engineering
The practice of burying or placing utility lines without adequate documentation has caused large-scale problems across the country. It’s also helped create a new program devoted entirely to the issue. The Utility Engineering Program, formed last year at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) to capitalize on the Institute’s two decades of leading-edge research and […]
Double Time — Accelerated Construction Strategies Enable a Quicker Pace Toward Project Completion
ENCOUNTERING the same construction zones day after day, month after month, it’s only natural for travelers to ask “Why does this have to take so long?” Thanks to a growing reliance on creative thinking, it no longer does. That thinking is at the root of accelerated construction, an effort launched in Texas in 1998 and […]
Cheap, Fast, Good: Cold, In-Place Recycling Can Deliver All Three
The old adage, “Cheap, Fast, Good: Pick Any Two,” applies to most things. Defying this commonly held belief, rehabilitating a roadway with cold-in-place recycling (CIR) can actually be faster and cheaper than traditional methods and still yield outstanding results. CIR is a single operation. An existing deteriorated hot-mix asphalt (HMA) layer is recycled and treated, […]
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. View the Houston TranStar warning system “Houston was ground zero for Hurricane […]