Why and when should transportation agencies try to address health concerns? “The simple answer is because transportation decisions can impact health in the community. Considering these impacts early, as decisions are made, supports better outcomes.” — Federal Highway Administration In 2016, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published the Health in Transportation Corridor Planning Framework, a […]
transportation planning
Slower Doesn’t Always Mean Safer — NCHRP Guide Helps Planners Mitigate Work Zone Crashes
Roadways don’t build themselves. They require careful planning, construction and regular maintenance, all of which require work zones designed to keep both workers and travelers safe. Sometimes those measures fail. According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), in 2017, there were 27,148 work zone crashes in Texas. Of those, 199 were fatalities, and 813 […]
TTI Compares New Technologies to Collect Data on Travel Patterns
As travel pattern data collection techniques continue to evolve, Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers have completed numerous leading-edge studies over the past several years that compare travel data collected from cellphones, GPS and Bluetooth® sources to determine which technology works best for collecting origin-destination (O-D) data for different types of transportation studies. An O-D […]
Building Sustainability into Our Transportation System
Vital to economic growth, transportation can also be a detriment to human health and the natural environment. That’s among the reasons why the concept of sustainable transportation is emerging in countries around the globe, among most state departments of transportation in the United States and, in increasing cases, as part of transportation engineering curricula. “Sustainable […]
TOSTADA Uses Stacked Data Layers to Provide the Best “Bang for the Buck”
If the concept of layering works for a popular Mexican food dish, why can’t the same concept work when analyzing data to prioritize roadway improvements? That’s the thinking behind a new approach that examines a comprehensive set of condition and performance measures, and weighs those factors to help determine where transportation improvement projects make the […]
Estimating Economic Impacts for Policymakers
Finance When it comes to selecting and funding transportation improvements in Texas, communities have a wide array of alternatives, with each having its own advantages and disadvantages. Frequently, vigorous debate occurs about how best to solve traffic problems. The key question is often how best to increase mobility in the most cost-effective way possible. Should […]
Pilot Virtual Open House Ushers in New Era of Public Engagement
TTI, working with TxDOT and CTRMA, recently developed a virtual open house website as an online forum for the general public to learn about possible improvements to the Oak Hill Parkway project in Austin, Texas.
A&M, Blinn Students Key in Planning Future B-CS Travel
Students from Texas A&M University and Blinn College will soon be helping planners decide future mobility needs in the Bryan-College Station area by taking part in a travel survey conducted by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) with help from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). “Obviously students account for a considerable amount of traffic […]
Our Changing Rural Areas
The United States continues to face population increases and changing demographics. This trend is particularly true in Texas.
New Guidebook Helps Agencies Develop Effective Sustainability Measures
Sustainability has become a key component in transportation planning at all levels of government, but until now few tools were available to help planners develop meaningful ways to measure the effectiveness of these efforts. A Guidebook for Sustainability Performance Measurement for Transportation Agencies, created by Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) researchers and published this week by […]
Early and often
The importance of coordination in land development A ride down many state highways in Texas—IH-35 for example—yields an obvious conclusion to the driver: land is being developed along these corridors faster than ever. This rapid development brings with it many issues such as access management, right-of-way preservation and drainage. For this reason, early coordination between […]