As the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) accelerates, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is leading the charge in safety innovation. Roadway departure crashes, responsible for approximately one-half of all roadway fatalities, demand more attention. Understanding how traditional guardrail responds to EV impacts is just one crucial component for promoting roadway safety today and in […]
infrastructure
Infrastructure Transformation & Transportation Resilience: TEES & TTI partnering with UTCs at CIR
Last year, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced the recipients of grant awards for National, Regional and Tier 1 University Transportation Centers (UTCs). Among the awardees, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), and Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) of Texas A&M University System were selected to either lead or partner with eight UTCs. Researchers from the Center for Infrastructure Renewal are working on infrastructure related topics at four of these centers.
TTI’s Roadside Safety and Physical Security Division Spearheads Safety and Security Transportation Advancements
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) Roadside Safety and Physical Security Division has been protecting occupants from roadside hazards since the 1960s. From the early days, this facility — located on the Texas A&M-RELLIS campus — has served as a test site for countless research projects improving both safety on the roadways and security of […]
CIR: Pioneering the Future of Transportation
As the nation grapples with the pressing need for new and improved infrastructure, the Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR) stands as a beacon of innovation and research. Located in Bryan, Texas, CIR offers a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to addressing the challenges and demands of modern infrastructure. With a focus on developing sustainable, resilient and efficient […]
TTI’s Connected Transportation Facilities
Connected transportation is a major evolution in how vehicles and infrastructure will interact in the future, affecting every facet of transportation safety and mobility. Vehicles and the infrastructure will be able to talk to each other and communicate their real-time conditions. The lifespan of this research is expected to be decades as communication and message […]
Rain or Shine: TTI’s SEC Lab Pioneers Roadside Environmental Management
As the wear and tear of time puts a toll on our roads and our environment, it’s imperative to have measures in place to combat potential issues that may arise. With the ever-changing climate and increasing environmental regulations, now more than ever it’s essential that the best products are being used on our roadways — […]
New Next-Generation Intersection to Enhance Safety for Vulnerable Road Users
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and the Texas Department of Transportation have been selected for a $1.9 million federal grant to develop a next-generation intersection that promises to improve safety for the most at-risk road users. “Protecting pedestrians, cyclists, and others who share the road with vehicles is key to a safe and accessible […]
I-35 Waco Project Overview
This project will improve I-35 in Waco from 12th Street to North Loop 340 by improving safety and mobility, adding capacity, incorporating technology, and enhancing aesthetics. Improvements include widening main lanes to four lanes in each direction, improving frontage roads and ramps, reconstructing bridges, improving interchanges, adding U-turns, and improving bicycle and pedestrian access. The […]
Ribbon Cutting Marks Completion of I-35 Waco Project
The I-35 Waco Project is officially complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held Nov. 9. The $341 million project finished on budget and ahead of schedule, beating its originally estimated end date by approximately 18 months. The I-35 Waco Project is part of the larger My35 Waco District Construction Plan, begun in 2012, comprised of 17 […]
TTI’s Epps Martin Elected President of AAPT
Texas A&M University Professor and Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Senior Research Engineer Amy Epps Martin was recently elected president of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (AAPT). Epps Martin will serve as president for one-year effective Oct. 1. AAPT is a leading world-wide community dedicated to excellence and advancement of asphalt technology since 1924. […]
Communication Is Key — TTI Mobility Coordinator Eases the Burden of Construction in Waco
Since 2012, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has conducted the My35 Construction Project along I-35 in Central Texas. Called “Main Street Texas” for the vital role the corridor plays in international commerce, I-35 is host to hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks each day. Comprising 17 separate construction projects, the 96-mile stretch between […]
Texas Needs to Consider New Ways to Fund Its Highways
By Brianne Glover Relying on gas tax is outdated as travel, vehicles become more diversified. Amid all the news of record-breaking inflation, it’s hard to think of anything that doesn’t cost more than it did a year ago — much less 30 years ago. To find one example, though, just think of your vehicle’s fuel. […]
Traffic Signal Technologies Improve Pedestrian, Bicyclist Safety in Texas
The Lone Star State has experienced an increase in the number of pedestrians and bicyclists who have lost their lives in roadway crashes. Within the last decade, pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities rose by 69 percent in Texas. These statistics — but, even more so, the real people behind the numbers — present a safety concern […]
Evaluating Road Types Improves Safety, Mobility in Rural Areas
Rural roadways often have a high number of crashes, especially severe crashes. To help decrease that number, researchers have focused safety and mobility studies on rural areas that experience increased truck traffic and road usage during certain economic booms — like oil booms. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Odessa District experienced an oil boom […]
Car Makers Join Researchers to Aid Flow through Traffic Signals
In theory, the best way to maximize traffic flow along busy urban streets is to coordinate the series of traffic signals that drivers encounter. In practice, that’s far easier said than done. But with the completion of recent research supported by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), traffic engineers are a big step closer to […]
Preventing Roadway Crashes before They Occur
Roadway departure crashes make up a significant number of the crashes on Texas roadways each year. In 2016 alone, Texas roads experienced 61,973 roadway departure crashes, most of which occurred on two-way two-lane (TWTL) highways (92 percent). These numbers — especially in a state that just saw its second-deadliest year on record for road fatalities […]
Proper Friction Equals Safer Roads
The correct amount of pavement friction is critical for motorist safety, especially during wet weather. The Wet Surface Crash Reduction Program guidelines from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Traffic Safety Division provide engineers with a framework for identifying existing pavement friction and the tools for specifying new pavement surfaces that will meet project-specific friction […]
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Impact on the Texas Environment
Tribune Article: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/11/09/biden-infrastructure-bill-texas/ White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/TEXAS_Infrastructure-Investment-and-Jobs-Act-State-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Joint Effort by TTI, Texas A&M AgriLife Helps to Protect Endangered Species From Road Projects
Unintended encounters with cars and trucks are nearly always bad news for animals. But not only do creatures face dangers on existing roads, they’re often imperiled from the moment that road construction begins. Animals of all types and sizes need to move about their habitats to forage, breed and simply exist, and that movement can […]
TTI, CARTEEH Supporting Transportation Electrification Efforts
The rapid appeal and growth of electric vehicles (EVs) over the last few decades are part of a fundamental shift in the constantly evolving transportation system. Stakeholders with interests in transportation, energy and emissions are finding they need to come together to plan for the future of the nation’s transportation system, including considering the idea […]