Thinking Transportation: Engaging Conversations about Transportation Innovations

Research promoting safety at rail grade crossings has saved lives by reducing collisions, the second-leading cause of rail-related fatalities in the United States. Trespassing by the public on railroad tracks is a particularly dangerous practice that has contributed to a recent upward trend in pedestrian fatalities. Today we talk to TTI's Jeff Warner, manager of the Institute's Multimodal Freight Program, about the variou...

When international crises occur, significant disruptions in the global supply chain can impact our daily lives in very real ways. Lately, for example, the conflict in the Middle East has been largely responsible for increasing gas prices at the pump because seaways like the Strait of Hormuz are the corridors through which much of the world's oil travels. In this episode, we visit again with Vince Mantero, TTI's director f...

TTI is approaching 25 years in researching and championing young driver safety through initiatives like the groundbreaking Teens in the Driver Seat program. Allan sits down with TTI's Lisa Minjares-Kyle and Stacey Tisdale, who lead the Institute's Youth Transportation Safety (YTS) Program, to talk about leveraging positive peer influence among teens to engender safer driving behaviors, as well as other proven strategies t...

The Resilient Navigation and Timing (RNT) Foundation is a public benefit and scientific and educational charity, 501(c)3, organization. Its members advocate for hardening the Global Positioning System (GPS) of the United States, which is behind some international competitors' systems, including those of Russia and China. The foundation provides unbiased, objective advice to the public and national leaders and champions polices...

When a new U.S. presidential administration is inaugurated, federal agencies experience changes in leadership and staff. Nicole Nason served as administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) at the U.S. Department of Transportation during the first Trump Administration. She understands as well as anyone the challenges of pursuing policy priorities in transportation while navigating the often choppy waters of politics in...

Tyler Duvall--currently CEO and co-founder of Cavnue, an infrastructure company dedicated to building safer, more efficient roadways while adapting today's transportation network to the next generation of vehicles--has spent most of his professional lifetime in transportation. Having served in both the public and private sectors, Mr. Duvall brings a unique expertise to solving challenges faced by all kinds of system users. He ...

Established in 1995 by the Texas Legislature, TTI's Center for Ports and Waterways (CPW) provides valuable applied research and expertise to the Texas Marine Transportation System. Over the past 30 years, CPW's experts have helped public- and private-sector stakeholders improve the efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness of waterborne freight at all operational levels. Recently, TTI Senior Research Scientist Jim Kruse,...

 In 1950, the Texas A&M Board of Directors charged the Texas Transportation Institute (now the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, or TTI) to enlist the broad resources of the college across the spectrum of transportation research to benefit Texas, while also providing unique educational opportunities for students to study and work in the field. This agreement solidified the Cooperative Research Program between the then-Tex...

As he prepares to head out to Atlanta, Georgia, to attend the ITS World Congress, we check in with TTI Senior Research Engineer Bob Brydia about the latest advances in transportation technology, including recent projects in Texas and where things are headed with integrating innovative applications like artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles safely, securely and efficiently. Bob heads TTI's Systems Operations and Techn...

Motorcyclists love the freedom of the open road. But freedom isn't free, and sometimes the price incautious riders pay after a crash is severe brain injury or even death; both, the statistics tell us, are avoidable by wearing a helmet certified by testing. Outfitting with appropriate riding gear is key to maximizing the odds of--literally--walking away from a motorcycle crash. Today, we talk to Hong Zhang, director of educatio...

Every four years, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) issues its Report Card for America's Infrastructure. Expressed in reader-friendly letter grades, the ratings document the current state of the country's major infrastructure assets, while also identifying needed improvements and contextualizing the relative health of these assets over time. Today, we talk to two experts--TTI's Edith Arámbula Mercado and...

Tracing its origins to the Air Commerce Act of 1926, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was established in 1967 as an independent agency inside the U.S. DOT charged with investigating why transportation accidents happen. In 1974, it became an independent federal agency separate from the DOT. Although largely focused on aviation, the agency also investigates roadway, marine, pipeline, and railroad accidents, as well as ...

In 1950, the Texas A&M Board of Directors charged the Texas Transportation Institute (now the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, or TTI) to enlist the broad resources of the college across the spectrum of transportation research to benefit Texas, while also providing unique educational opportunities for students to study and work in the field. This agreement solidified the Cooperative Research Program between the then-Texa...

Folks are living longer thanks to medical breakthroughs and healthier lifestyles, and that means our overall U.S. population is skewing older. The Texas Demographic Center notes that the U.S. population aged 65 and older spiked between 2010 and 2020, the largest 10-year growth on record. That means more drivers on the road are older too, and statistics show that licensees over 70 jumped from 73 percent in 1997 to 87 percent in 2022...

Roundabouts and other innovative intersections offer a number of advantages over more traditional designs, including improved sustainability, reliability, and resilience--and astonishing benefits to traffic safety for drivers. Amanda Austin, the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT's) lead in implementing these alternative designs, and TTI Research Engineer Marcus Brewer join us this episode to discuss them. For mo...

In June 2024, TTI's Roadside Safety and Physical Security Team crashed a Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle (EV) into a heavy-duty guardrail at 62 miles per hour. When the EV blew right through the barrier, researchers were stunned. TTI Senior Research Engineer Roger Bligh, whose 38 years of roadside safety barrier testing experience oversaw the test, joins guest host and TTI Agency Director Greg Winfree to discuss the results of ...

Administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the University Transportation Centers Program provides grants to college and university consortia across America. With an emphasis on innovating transportation technologies, educating the next generation of transportation professionals, and transferring technology to share lessons learned, the program leverages the best academic talent at U.S. institutions of higher learning to...

For more than two decades, TTI has championed young driver safety, preventing injury and saving lives through education, empowerment, and peer-led outreach. Supported by public- and private-sector sponsors, the Institute's Youth Transportation Safety (YTS) Program recently published Texas Trends, 2024, which captures data regarding young driver attitudes, codifies ongoing crash and injury trends, and helps us better understand...