Texas has been designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) as a national Automated Vehicle (AV) Proving Ground for the testing of connected and automated vehicle technologies to solve community challenges, thanks to an alliance of public transportation agencies, a network of research institutions, and municipal governments throughout the state. The Texas AV Proving […]
TTI Proving Ground
TTI Enhances Its Proving Ground with New Research Facilities
The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 introduced a new concept to motorist safety: the forgiving roadside. A year before that act was implemented, engineers at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI’s) Proving Ground Research Facility developed and crash-tested breakaway sign supports — just one example of the new philosophy then being […]
Video of Latest TTI Crash Test Goes Viral
A dramatic crash test was performed at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Sept. 24 to determine if a newly designed perimeter security device is effective in protecting U.S. embassies and other facilities around the globe. A video of the test showing a 15,000-pound truck crashing into the barrier at 50 miles per hour has […]
TTI Helps Keep Americans Safe at Home and Abroad
How do you keep a terrorist from bombing an embassy with a fast-moving car or truck fitted with explosives? The terrorist tactic goes back more than 30 years when the U.S. Marine barracks were bombed in Beirut, Lebanon. Today, embassies, consulates, and other facilities and bases here and abroad are protected with bollards and other […]
Are Pylons Practical? TTI Recommends Implementation Guidelines
They are known by different names and are cheaper to install and more portable than concrete barriers. But over the last few years, agencies responsible for roadway maintenance have discovered a costly problem when it comes to plastic pylons. Also called delineators, channelizing devices or tubular markers, these traffic control devices offer an initial cost savings […]