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Researcher: Research To Innovation
Researcher: Research To Innovation
Task Force: Connected-Automated Technology Improves Safety the Texas Connected Freight
Vehicles Are Becoming a Reality near Transit Stops Corridors Project
Researcher
TEXAS TRANSPORTATION VOL. 56 ❘ NO. 1 ❘ 2020
R2 I
Research to Innovation
Smart Transportation = Smart Communities
tti.tamu.edu
Researcher
TEXAS TRANSPORTATION VOL . 5 6 ❘ NO. 1 ❘ 2020 ON THE COVER: While news stories often cover the
big technological breakthroughs — self-driving cars,
deliveries by drone — it’s iterative research advances
at agencies like the Texas A&M Transportation Institute
that make those innovative milestones possible.
6 8 10 12
3 8 13
TTI’s Advanced Transportation People First: Advanced Technology TTI News
Technology Research Improves Safety near Transit Stops
15
4 10 The Last Stop with Greg Winfree:
TTI Earns Awards, Helps TRB Looking to the Future with the Transportation as a Disease Vector:
Celebrate Its Centennial Texas Connected Freight Our Research Must Focus on Mitigating
Corridors Project the Spread of Infectious Diseases
6
TTI Helps Coordinate the CAV 12
Task Force: Connected-Automated On a Typical Day, Texas Drivers
Vehicles Are Becoming a Reality Face Longest Delays on Houston,
Austin Freeways
13 Connected-Automated Policy
Briefs Provided to Lawmakers
12 3
Recent Pilot and Test Bed
Technology Demonstrations Facilities
11
Connected-Automated
Vehicle Research Projects
4
T TI Associate Transportation Researcher Emira
Rista and TTI Senior Research Engineer Kay
Fitzpatrick were awarded the Traffic Control Devices
Committee’s 2020 Young First Author Best Paper
Award for their paper, “How Do LED-Embedded
Pedestrian Crossing Signs Compare to Rectangular
Rapid-Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) and Pedestrian
Hybrid Beacons (PHBs)?”
6
C
onnected-automated vehicles (CAVs) were once a figment of our
imagination, something we only saw in science fiction movies;
now, they’re becoming a reality.
What exactly is CAV technology? up culture; it’s important that as tech- on CAV industry insights, and be as
CAVs leverage a combination of on- nology advances, Texas continues to prepared as possible for the transfor-
and off-vehicle sensors, cameras and foster a business-friendly environment. mation that’s coming.”
other technologies to connect with Toward that end, CAV technology will
other vehicles and infrastructure to allow businesses to easily move goods The group met for the first time
help guide vehicles, improving public across Texas while potentially cutting in Austin, Texas, in October 2019.
safety and traveler mobility. To ensure shipping costs over the long run. The kickoff meeting focused on
the Lone Star State continues its leader-
ship role in developing transportation
innovations, the Texas Department “We are thrilled for what the CAV Task Force will bring
of Transportation (TxDOT), at the to Texas. This task force will promote beneficial and safe
direction of Gov. Greg Abbott, has advancements in mobility as we prepare for a rapidly
announced the formation of the CAV approaching future. We are excited to have TTI supporting
Task Force.
us on this effort.”
“This task force is a great opportunity to
Darran Anderson
bring together leaders in transportation
Director of Strategy and Innovation for TxDOT
and industry in Texas to help chart a
path forward,” explains Texas A&M
Transportation Institute (TTI) Senior
CAV technology will also enable greater establishing the task force’s goals,
Research Engineer Beverly Kuhn, head
mobility, significantly impacting the discussing the status of CAV
of the Institute’s System Reliability
relationship between individual Texans deployment in Texas, and determining
Division. “That way, the state will be
and their chosen modes of transporta- the next steps for the group. TTI
ready for CAVs long before they become
tion. For example, elderly and disabled Agency Director Greg Winfree was
commonplace on our roadways.”
travelers could enjoy greater access to appointed to serve on the task force.
TxDOT asked TTI to help coordinate health care via driverless vehicles taking Over time, various public awareness
the CAV Task Force, the goal for which them to and from appointments. CAV strategies — including a website,
is to serve as an incubating hub for any technology also promises to make white papers and an annual report
policy recommendations made to the travel times more reliable, improving — will make information about CAV
Texas Legislature and Gov. Abbott. trip estimates for travelers and shippers technology and task force activities
The task force serves as a single point alike. On the safety front, CAVs hold the available to stakeholders.
of information and coordination for all potential to reduce crashes through the
seamless interaction of vehicles, trans- “We are thrilled for what the CAV
CAV activities in Texas. Members share
portation infrastructure and the driving Task Force will bring to Texas,” states
their knowledge by hosting industry
environment. More accurate driver Darran Anderson, director of strategy
meetings, creating a knowledge base for
warnings and automated avoidance and innovation for TxDOT. “This
best practices and collaboration, and
systems, for example, can help avoid task force will promote beneficial and
reporting on lessons learned. Members
crashes, creating safer roadways and safe advancements in mobility as we
plan to meet as often as six times per
improving quality of life for drivers. prepare for a rapidly approaching
year across Texas. TTI is responsible for
future. We are excited to have TTI
packaging meeting outcomes to share
“The task force provides a framework supporting us on this effort.” ■
with various stakeholders.
for TxDOT,” notes TTI Executive
TTI and TxDOT are confident that Associate Director Ed Seymour.
“Through the ongoing evolution of For more information,
CAV technology will benefit both contact Beverly Kuhn at
the everyday person and businesses this task force, community partners
(979) 317-2823 or
in Texas. Texas has become a hub for have more opportunities to learn about
b-kuhn@tti.tamu.edu.
technological advancement and start- the CAV marketplace, stay up to date
10
I magine yourself driving a truck along I-35 filled
with perishable goods. You rely on your eyes to
predict what you might encounter on the road ahead, though
“More than half of all freight tonnage in
the United States moves through Texas,
you can’t always see every hazard. Advanced transportation which makes it the ideal environment
technologies can make the difference, noticing (and reacting in which to test and evaluate how a
to) things the human eye can’t. Mobility, safety, reliability, connected environment could transform a
security — all improve when technology supplements state’s freight corridors. This project will
human senses. establish a stronger relationship between
fleet managers and highway operators for
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) is assisting advancing connected vehicle technologies,
the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in the
which will only become more prevalent
development of the Texas Connected Freight Corridors
(TCFC) project, funded with an Advanced Transportation as Texas moves more goods to people and
Congestion Management Technology Demonstration grant businesses across the nation.”
from the Federal Highway Administration. Anticipating a
Nick Wood
Texas future populated by automated vehicles, the TCFC
TTI Assistant Research Engineer
project evaluates what’s needed to successfully usher in that
future, while also improving freight mobility and safety on
Texas roads today.
Associate Director Ed Seymour. “This trend will only
“More than half of all freight tonnage in the United States accelerate as it becomes easier, faster and more convenient
moves through Texas, which makes it the ideal environment for consumers to receive goods and services. This project
in which to test and evaluate how a connected environ- helps truck fleets and highway agencies learn how advancing
ment could transform a state’s freight corridors,” says TTI technologies can improve safety and mobility.”
Assistant Research Engineer Nick Wood. “This project will
establish a stronger relationship between fleet managers Freight is already a significant player when it comes
and highway operators for advancing connected vehicle to implementing advanced connected and automated
technologies, which will only become more prevalent as technologies. One example is truck platooning, where
Texas moves more goods to people and businesses across the one truck operated by a driver is followed by others
nation.” guided via technology. TTI’s role in the TCFC project
invites stakeholders to test new technology applications
The TCFC project involves the deployment of vehicle-to- and strengthens relationships that will prove critical as
infrastructure and vehicle-to-vehicle applications across the public agencies and the connected-vehicle industry scale
865-mile Texas Triangle. The triangle connects Houston, up to a larger connected infrastructure ecosystem. The
Dallas and San Antonio via Interstates 10, 30, 35 and 45. TCFC project is also evaluating technologies that could
The four-year project began April 1, 2019, and has several improve safety for commercial vehicles, while also reducing
phases, including planning, design and development, and passenger vehicle crashes on Texas roads.
maintenance and operations.
“The TCFC project will lay a foundation for a scalable and
In the planning phase, TTI researchers produced a concept sustainable connected-vehicle environment that promises
of operations outlining how technologies would support to significantly improve safety for the traveling public,” says
truck drivers and managers. The document presents a sce- TxDOT Senior Transportation Engineer Jianming Ma. “In
nario wherein a truck driver who travels from San Antonio Texas, the last day without a death on the state’s roads was
to Dallas encounters a number of incidents throughout the November 7, 2000, nearly two decades ago. Through this
day. Each incident triggers a warning to the driver through project, TTI and other team members are helping TxDOT
an onboard device that communicates information about achieve its Road to Zero goal to end all roadway fatalities on
closed lanes, stopped vehicles and debris on the highway. Texas roads by 2050. In the next several decades, connected
The TTI research team is assisting in the deployment of the and automated vehicles have the potential to make the
first few applications, including queue warning, work zone public safer and reduce deaths on Texas roads.” ■
warning, wrong-way driving alerts and truck
signal priority.
For more information, contact Ed Seymour
“In an expanding e-commerce marketplace, at (972) 994-2207 or e-seymour@tti.tamu.edu,
consumers are relying more on freight deliv- or Nick Wood at (512) 407-1115 or
eries and the highway corridors that connect n-wood@tti.tamu.edu.
homes to businesses,” notes TTI Executive
TEXAS TRANSPORTATION RESEARCHER 11
On a Typical Day, Texas Drivers Face Longest
Delays on Houston, Austin Freeways
gest metro areas. However, roadway
delay is becoming more common in
urban areas of all sizes. This year’s
complete list of congested road rank-
ings includes 1,854 segments spread
across 66 counties.
F ueled by the state’s steady growth and healthy economy in 2018, Houston’s
West Loop this year is set to repeat its rank as the most gridlocked corridor
in the state. Interstate 35 in central Austin comes in a close second, with the
funding initiatives directing more
resources to the State Highway Fund
for non-tolled projects.
Southwest and Eastex Freeways in Houston and the Woodall Rodgers Freeway in
Dallas rounding out the top five. “TxDOT’s mission is Connecting
You with Texas, and we are focused
Supporting the Texas Department of TTI Senior Research Scientist on getting people where they need to
Transportation (TxDOT), researchers David Schrank. “The 100 Most go efficiently and reliably by paying
from the Texas A&M Transportation Congested Roadways in Texas 2019 attention to where improvements are
Institute (TTI) use traffic volume Summary Report does this for almost needed most,” says Marc Williams,
and speed data to compile the annual 10,000 miles of roadway in Texas.” TxDOT’s deputy executive director.
listing of the most crowded roadways “Congestion relief is a priority for our
in Texas, comparing the time it takes to Thirteen new road segments appear top chokepoints as we balance the
travel on a congested roadway against on the list this year, with 92 segments many demands on our roadways across
the time needed to travel the same being concentrated in Texas’ four big- the state.” ■
corridor in uncongested conditions.
For more information, contact
“One of the first things you do when David Schrank at (979) 317-2646 or
a problem is identified is to measure d-schrank@tti.tamu.edu, or Tim Lomax
the extent of the problem,” explains at (979) 317-2483 or t-lomax@tti.tamu.edu.
12
TTI NEWS
Manser Appointed to Motorcycle Safety Winfree Urges Focus
Advisory Board on Disease-Mitigating
TTI Senior Research Scientist Michael Manser was Innovations
recently appointed to the Texas Department of Licensing
and Regulation’s (TDLR’s) Motorcycle Safety Advisory
Agency Director Greg Winfree’s
latest editorial opinion in Traffic
Board. The board provides technical knowledge and
Technology International is a call to
industry expertise to TDLR about motorcycle rider training
action for transportation researchers
and education.
to focus on hardening our shared
Manser global network’s
With his more than 19 years of professional experience in
the area of transportation human factors research, Manser’s appointment to infrastructure to
the board adds extensive practical knowledge and expertise on the subject protect against
of motorcycle safety. During his career, Manser has developed and managed the spread
a variety of Texas statewide education and outreach efforts for the Texas of infectious
Department of Transportation, including the Texas Statewide Motorcyclist diseases like
Safety Coalition and the Texas Statewide Pedestrian Safety Coalition. COVID-19. n
The tool educates motorists on high-risk flood areas Innovation Award, and a Technology Award at the
during severe storms, combining rainfall and stream Emergency Management Association of Texas’
elevation data with real-time traffic information to Symposium. Additionally, the tool will be recognized
show areas likely to flood, while enabling travelers with a National Operations Center of Excellence
to plan alternate routes, thereby avoiding dangerous Transportation Systems Management and
roadways. Houston TranStar’s website and traffic Operations (TSMO) Award for Best TSMO Project
map were seen by more than 3 million unique visitors at the American Association of State Highway and
during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Transportation Officials’ 2020 spring meeting. The
“Our project enhances traveler safety in the award recognizes TSMO projects that use innovative
Greater Houston region by giving motorists reliable practices to save lives, time and money in response
information to avoid roadways that are highly likely to to a specific event.
be flooded,” explains Dinah Massie, Houston TranStar “Hurricane Harvey remains fresh in Houston’s
executive director. memory,” notes Mike Vickich, TTI senior systems
The flood-warning system had previously won analyst. “The flood-warning system has evolved into
an Intelligent Transportation Society of Texas a critical resource for governments and other entities
Award, a Texas Public Works Association Technical to put safety measures in place for the public.” n
TRANSPORTATION AS A
DISEASE VECTOR
Our Research Must Focus on Mitigating the Spread of Infectious Diseases
I
n engineering, the term vector generally identifies a quantity that has used as microbial agents before the
magnitude and direction commonly represented by a directed line segment advent of modern antibiotics in 1932
(i.e., an element of a vector space). and have been registered at the US
Environmental Protection Agency
Traditionally in medicine, however, travelers. Even more insidious is the as the first reliable antimicrobial
a vector is an organism that doesn’t potential for transportation assets material. Let’s investigate using
cause disease itself but spreads to spread germs that continue this metal on surfaces that humans
infection by conveying pathogens to remain viable, left behind on touch, like handrails and doorknobs.
from one host to another. Inanimate surfaces touched by exposed We can simultaneously work with
objects such as foodstuffs and dust individuals. A study recently materials scientists and biochemists
are also considered to be vector published in The New England on next-generation antimicrobial
agents. As the coronavirus 2019 Journal of Medicine suggests the materials and coatings that can be
(COVID-19) and previous pandemics coronavirus can live on plastic and deployed as well. This approach
have demonstrated, we need to stainless steel for up to 72 hours. builds on the important work
shift our focus and approach to the Moreover, our adoption of shared the Texas A&M Transportation
ways we deliver transportation to economy precepts exponentially (TTI) is already investigating at
minimize the impact of these global increases opportunities for disease the intersection of transportation
scourges. transmission as we carshare, and health through TTI’s Center
bikeshare, scootershare, etc. for Advancing Research on
First, we must realize that Transportation Emissions, Energy
although borders are closing and These facts demand that we, as and Health.
supply chains are disrupted, we’ll transportation professionals, work
continue moving toward a more across disciplines to reexamine The reality is here, folks — and
interconnected world. Against that how best to harden transportation it’s clearly established that
backdrop, we must acknowledge assets to minimize their capacity transportation is a global disease
the major role transportation to transport disease. It is our vector. Perhaps we should look to
assets play in the global spread of responsibility to do so. We’ll the medical profession and its first,
contagia. The most obvious means need to work more closely with best mission to “do no harm” as
of spreading disease involves the epidemiologists, infectious disease we dedicate ourselves to the task of
transport of exposed individuals experts, biochemists, materials mitigating risk to human life. Human
from one place to another. There scientists and others to reimagine ingenuity can solve any problem.
are multiple opportunities to expose materials of construction and We’re scientists and engineers — it’s
others engaged in or tangential to surface preparation. For example, what we do. Moreover, our futures
a Point A to Point B trip — ticket copper and copper alloys were may depend on it. ■
agents, security personnel, food
ID-19
court employees and fellow
COV
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The Celebrating the TRB Centennial – Texas Style event and the Texas A&M
Transportation Technology Conference have been rescheduled for October 26–28.
Online registration is open.
Texas Style • promote the value of transportation • recognize, honor and celebrate the
research; TRB community in Texas; and
October 26, 2020 ★ College Station, Texas • highlight 100 years of contributions • build support for continuing the
to TRB products and services that successful Texas–TRB collaboration
make the transportation system for the next 100 years.
better for all users;
Featuring
Neil Pederson, TRB Executive Director and
Carlos Braceras, Director, Utah Department of
Transportation and Chair, TRB Executive Committee
REGISTER: https://events.tti.tamu.edu/conference/ttc20-trb-centennial/.
Register Now at
https://events.tti.tamu.edu/conference/ttc20-trb-centennial/registration/.