TxDOT-Statewide Podcast: Recent Episodes
Texas Department of Transportation
The Texas Department of Transportation wants you to get the facts on transportation in Texas. Get them here with this weekly podcast.
When country music artist Kevin Fowler was growing up in West Texas, he listened to the likes of George Strait, Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughn. And while those names have become synonymous with greatness, Fowler recently joined their ranks with his selection as one of three artists promoting this year's Don't Mess With Texas campaign. I spoke with Kevin recently about his involvement with the iconic Texas program. For more information, visit http://dontmesswithtexas.org/.
Driving across the country takes planning and preparation, not the least of which involves figuring out where to get gas in some desolate places along the route. But for the University of Michigan's Solar Car Team, which recently rolled through Texas on a practice run, fuel is the least of their concerns. For more, I spoke with Allison Hogikyan, a freshman engineering student and team spokesperson. For more information about this unique project, visit www.umsolar.com.
Nearly everyone has an opinion about teen drivers. And while teen drivers are pretty much the same everywhere, in New Jersey, they're dying at a much lower rate than in Texas and much of the United States. For more on how New Jersey does it, I spoke with Pam Fischer, founder of the New Jersey Teen Safe Driving Coalition.
As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the allied invasion of Normandy during World War II, also known as D-Day, what is often overlooked is not only the logistics of preparing for such an operation, but the logistics required after the invasion as the allies pushed east toward Paris, and then to Germany. The unsung heroes of the march to Berlin were a group of dedicated truck drivers, many of them African-American, who drove supplies from the French coast to the front lines in an unending circle called the Red Ball Express that, if broken, could have stopped the world's most powerful army in its tracks. For more, I spoke with Collin Makamson, Family Programs and Outreach Coordinator for the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, LA. For more information about the National World War II Museum, visit www.nationalww2museum.org or call 504-528-1944.
Summer is the best time of year to travel Texas' highways. School is out and vacations beckon, as do the lazy afternoons spent pool side or at the beach. But summer is also the best time for TxDOT crews to work on the more than 80,000 centerline miles of roads across the state, meaning that our best time to work is when the most cars are on the road. It's no surprise then that accident rates between TxDOT and the traveling public go up between the beginning of May and the end of August, which prompted TxDOT to launch its 123 Safe Days of Summer campaign. For more, I spoke with Jerral Wyer, Director of TxDOT's Occupational Safety Division.
We've all heard the heartbreaking narrative of a family on vacation or out to dinner getting hit by a drunk driver. The crash kills at least one of the family's children though the drunk driver isn't injured. We all shake our heads and talk about how the drunk driver should meet some kind of special fate. And while children are killed that way in DWI crashes, a recent study directed by Dr. Kyran Quinlan shows the most common scenario hits a lot closer to home. To read more of Dr. Quinlan's results, visit pediatrics.org and search keywords "child passenger."
While Oil and Gas exploration gets the headlines, another industry in Texas is quietly booming to the tune of $67 billion annually - Tourism. As Texas Travel and Tourism Week comes to a close, I spoke with Brad Smyth, Tourism Director for the Governor's Office of Economic Development and Tourism about the impact Texas tourism has on transportation, the economy and the nation. For more information on tourism in Texas, visit www.traveltex.com.
As the weather warms and April turns to May, more and more Texans are hitting the road on their bicycles. Cyclists, motorcycles and motor vehicles are all subject to the same traffic laws, but cyclists are the most vulnerable to driver inattention and aggression. To raise awareness of bicycles on the road in Texas and across the country, AAA Texas is supporting National Bike Month. For more I spoke with Doug Shupe with AAA Texas.
Over the years, the Texas Department of Transportation has purchased thousands of parcels of land to build highways. But sometimes those plans change, or technology improves, causing the original design of a project to change after the right of way has been purchased. Traditionally, TxDOT has largely held onto that property in the thought that once purchased, it might be used for a future need. But the department's recently formed Real Estate Management and Development Division is changing that tradition, with an eye toward stimulating local economies in the process. For more, I spoke with RMD's founding director, Roland Tilden.
Spring cleaning is happening everywhere, including on Texas roadsides as TxDOT and Keep Texas Beautiful launch the Don't mess with Texas Trash-Off on Saturday, April 5. This month-long event means that thousands of volunteers will be picking up litter on roadsides all across the state. For more, I spoke with KTB's Christine Chute Canul.
What do Sacagawea, baseball legend Roger Maris, basketball coach Phil Jackson and author Louis L'Amour have in common? Give up? They were all born in the state of North Dakota. Here's something else you may not have known about North Dakota: the state's energy sector is growing faster than ours here in Texas. For more on the nation's second-leading energy producing state and the effect that growth is having on its transportation system, I spoke to Grant Levi, director of North Dakota's Department of Transportation.
Last September, Erik Steavens became TxDOT's second director of its Rail Division, which immediately placed him at the forefront of the ongoing high-speed rail discussion both in Texas and across the United States. Before coming to TxDOT, Steavens worked as the Director of Intermodal Programs for the Georgia Department of Transportation, and before that worked for the Federal Highway Administration. Now six months into his second job directing rail projects at the state level, I spoke with Steavens on where Texas is and where it's going in regards to railroads.
Spring Break is upon us and, while for most of us that means time off with family, for those who operate TxDOT's Port Aransas ferry boats it can mean some long days. For more, I spoke with Howard Gillespie, Director of TxDOT's Ferry Boat Operations in Corpus Christi.
State Representative Richard Peña Raymond represents District 42, which is entirely within the city of Laredo. It also puts him in a unique position to observe up close the nation's largest inland port, and its third largest overall. That much trade requires an enormous amount of infrastructure that has only come relatively lately to the Laredo area. I spoke with Representative Raymond about how Laredo is managing that explosive growth, and what the future holds.
Most often when TxDOT officials work with elected officials, it's at the state or local level. But there's another political body with which TxDOT works regularly - Congress. Representing the interests of Texas residents and motorists where 49 other states are competing for the same funding can be a tricky exercise, but few have managed it better than Coby Chase, TxDOT's Director of Federal Affairs, who is set to retire at the end of Feb. I spoke with Coby about how TxDOT represents itself at the federal level, and how that effort has changed during his career.
Not all that long ago, Wes Smith's concepts of charging transit vehicles wirelessly from stations under the roadway sounded like something from Star Trek, one of the entrepreneur's favorite television shows. But for Smith, and his Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification - or WAVE - technology, the future is now. For more, I spoke with Wes at the recent Texas Transportation Forum in San Antonio. For more, I spoke with Smith during the 9th Annual Texas Transportation Forum.
It's not often that a service provider of any kind tells its customers not to use its products, but that's just what AT&T is doing with its "It Can Wait" program, aimed at putting an end to the American addition to texting and driving. For more, I spoke with Jim Carter, Assistant VP of Market Research and Analysis for AT&T, during the 9th Annual Texas Transportation Forum.
Last July, President Barack Obama appointed former Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx to become the nation's 17th Secretary of Transportation. Foxx inherited a national transportation portfolio dealing with aging infrastructure, funding shortfalls and the expiration of the current transportation bill, MAP-21, this coming October. I spoke with Secretary Foxx following his keynote address to the 9th annual Texas Transportation Forum, Jan. 6-8, in San Antonio.
Two years ago, Phil Wilson took over as TxDOT's Executive Director. As 2013 comes to a close, Phil is headed for the Lower Colorado River Authority. As he prepares to depart TxDOT, I asked him to look back on his time at the agency and what he's accomplished.
As a reminder to keep the holidays happy and safe, the Texas Department of Transportation is urging Texans to give themselves and others the gift of a sober ride as they make the rounds to their seasonal celebrations. For more, I spoke with Terry Pence, Director of TxDOT's Traffic Safety Section. To enter for a chance to win a New Year's Eve trip to New York City, or for a New Year's Eve limousine ride in any Texas town, pledge to have a sober ride by texting "SoberRide" to 42330, tweeting "I pledge to have a #soberride this holiday season @TxDOT," or by logging on to soberrides.org.
How many times have you heard the rhetorical statement, "we can put a man on the moon, but we can't..." do something that seems simple? When it comes to technology and transportation, that question - and the urgency it represents - is becoming more and more common. Enter Brian Heath, the President and CEO of Drivewyze, a Canadian firm that may not have put a man on the moon, but may be on the path to solving some of today's most pressing - and perplexing - transportation issues. For more information about Drivewyze, log on to its website, http://drivewyze.com/.
Register for the 9th Annual Texas Transportation Forum here: www.txdot.gov/ttf. This episode originally posted in April 2013.
The Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest travel holidays of the year, particularly on the nation's highways. TxDOT and AAA-Texas want you and yours to be safe this holiday season, and that safety starts before you ever get into the car. For more, I spoke with Doug Shupe of AAA-Texas. For more travel safety tips, log onto the AAA-Texas website, www.texas.aaa.com.
November 7, 2000 was Election Day. It was also the last day that no one died on the highways in Texas. In the thirteen years since that day, more than 45,000 people have lost their lives in crashes and incredibly, the rate at which those deaths are occurring is accelerating. For more, I spoke with TxDOT's Deputy Executive Director, John Barton.
For most of us, looking into the future is a murky proposition at best. For others, though, like Glen Hiemstra, the owner and founder of futurist.com, the future is a familiar - and hopeful - place where, as he told me, transportation needs and methods look very different from today. Read more from Mr. Hiemstra on his blog, www.futurist.com.
This episode originally posted in February 2013.
Interstate 35 between Dallas and San Antonio through Central Texas is one of the most heavily traveled sections of roadway anywhere in the United States. Just south of the DFW Metroplex, the Interstate splits in to I-35E, which serves Dallas, and I-35W, which serves Fort Worth. North of the Metroplex, the two come back together near Denton before heading into Oklahoma. Starting next week, the 27-mile segment of I-35E between I-635 in Dallas and US 380 in Denton is getting a major facelift. For more information about the project, I spoke with TxDOT's Varuna Singh. For more on the I-35E Managed Lanes project, log on to www.keepitmovingdallas.com/projects.
A recent survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety showed that in the past four years, many Americans' attitudes about drunk driving, drowsy driving, distracted driving and aggressive driving have begun to change and not for the better. For more, I spoke with AAA Texas spokesman Doug Shupe. For more information on this study, log on to AAAFoundation.org.
The state of Colorado has been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the past few years, including epic battles with widespread wildfires and subsequent torrential rains and mudslides that have wiped out roads and bridges in 17 counties. And as Colorado Department of Transportation spokesperson Amy Ford told me, while it may take Colorado and its department of transportation years to recover, as recovery begins, so will improvements that may not have been possible without the recent devastation.
With the economy slowly shifting into recovery and consumer spending on the rise, Texas' ports and commercial border crossings are getting busier by the day. As South Texas grows, so will the traffic at the border, which could affect prices and delivery times for the things Americans buy.
With three ports of entry in his Hidalgo County district, State Representative Sergio Munoz Jr. has been at the forefront of the movement to improve Texas' ports of entry, as well as channeling that traffic along a predetermined heavy-traffic corridor, which he established with the passage of House Bill 474 in the last legislative session.
Last November, lifelong Rio Grande Valley resident Bobby Guerra was sworn into office to finish an uncompleted term in the 41st District of the Texas House of Representatives. Ten months and four legislative sessions later, Rep. Guerra has received a crash course in lawmaking in general, and transportation in particular. In addition to the explosive growth in the region, representing the Rio Grande Valley means representing the area through which a majority of Texas freight must pass en route from the border ports of entry. And that, as the Representative told me, makes the ongoing I-69 project more important than ever.
Besides being one of the state's most popular slogans, Don't mess with Texas® also is proving to be effective as an anti-littering message. Established by the Texas Department of Transportation in 1986, Don't mess with Texas® has helped reduce visible litter by 34 percent on TxDOT-maintained roadways between 2009 and 2013, according to TxDOT's 2013 Texas Litter Survey.
The term back to school means different things to different people. For teachers and students, it means the end of summer vacation. For parents, it means packing lunch boxes and checking homework. And for motorists, it means being on the lookout for school zones and school buses, and the other potential traffic scenarios the school year creates. For more, I spoke with AAA-Texas spokesman Doug Shupe. For more back-to-school driving tips, log on to teendriving.aaa.com.
Texas Highways Magazine is turning 40 next year and, to celebrate the milestone, the Official Travel Magazine of Texas is counting down the top 40 destinations in Texas as voted on by readers. Meanwhile, Texas Highways' Sept. 2013 edition of the magazine, which hits newsstands the week of Aug. 12, will feature a newly redesigned look to go along with an expanded web and social media presence. For more I spoke with the magazine's editor, Charles Lohrmann. Cast your vote for your favorite Texas destination by visiting the Texas Highways website, www.texashighways.com.
Summer in Texas not only means road trips and vacations, but also soaring temperatures and an increase in ozone pollution levels. To help motorists save money and keep the air clean, the Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality are again partnering on this year's Drive Clean Across Texas campaign. For more on the campaign, I spoke with Margo Richards, director of TxDOT's Travel Information Division. Enter to win the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid by logging on to the Drive Clean Across Texas website, http://drivecleanacrosstexas.org/, by September 15.
For each of the past 20 years, the Reason Foundation has compiled a report on the performance of state highway systems across the country, and ranked them on 11 different indicators. Texas was ranked 11th overall on the most recent report, which showed marked improvement from where we started 20 years ago. For more on this report, I spoke with Dr. Adrian Moore of the Reason Foundation. Read the Reason Foundation's 20th Annual Report on the Performance of State Highway Systems on their website: http://reason.org.
In the past 10 years, TxDOT has become a leaner, more efficient agency which has embraced new methods and new technology to keep up with the times. Aside from money spent to build and maintain TxDOT's 80,000-mile system, one of the department's biggest expenditures comes from maintaining its fleet of 16,000 vehicles and pieces of heavy equipment. But that, too, maybe about to change. For more, I spoke with Lauren Garduno, TxDOT's Chief Procurement Officer.
With July 4 just around the corner, chances are, your holiday plans include packing the family car and hitting the road - where, as Texas Department of Public Safety Sergeant Lonny Haschel reminds us, you'll be under the watchful eyes of the Texas highway patrol.
As you travel around the state this summer, TxDOT reminds you to be safe when behind the wheel.
After nearly 20 years in the Texas Legislature, State Representative Joe Pickett has been involved with transportation in Texas on several different levels. In that time, Texas has grown, and so have its needs, which has prompted regular and sometimes heated debate on the best way to fund those needs. With the 83rd Texas Legislature adjourned, and a special session on the horizon, I spoke with Rep. Pickett about his expectations for another funding discussion.
When Phil Wilson came aboard as TxDOT's Executive Director in 2011, many inside and outside the department felt he had his work cut out for him. The department had just been through an exhaustive multi-legislative session Sunset process and was at the same time struggling to make ends meet as revenues dropped. I spoke with Phil recently about getting TxDOT ready for this most recent legislative session and what's next for the department.
With Memorial Day in the offing, AAA-Texas is anticipating nearly three million Texans loading up the family car and hitting the road. For more, I spoke with Doug Shupe of AAA-Texas.
Few in the Texas Legislature have a district as diverse as Senator Dr. Robert Deuell of the Second District. Spanning east from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to all or part of Delta, Fannin, Hopkins and Van Zandt counties, Sen. Deuell has made his career on striking balances between big city and small town politics on the three major political hot buttons; education, transportation and water. I spoke with the six-term Senator recently about how transportation funding has changed since he took office and where he sees it going next.
There may not be a clear beginning of distracted driving as a phenomenon in the United States, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is working to find the end. A recent survey by NHTSA showed that while a majority of Americans know distracted driving is dangerous, that hasn't stopped them from driving while distracted. For more on this dichotomy, I spoke with NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.
So, your baby just turned 15 and is thinking about what kind of car they're going to get for their next birthday. Chances are you've thought about what they're going to drive, but the better question is "how will they drive?" If you or your spouse decide to provide the required training, how can you be sure you've covered all of the basics with your student driver before you turn them loose? As it turns out, there's an App for that. To find out more about it, I spoke with its creator, Arthur Goodwin, a senior research associated at the University of North Carolina's Highway Research Center. Download the App, 'Time to Drive' for $3.99 from Apple's iTunes Store.
This week is National Work Zone Awareness Week, not just in Texas, but across the country. With distracted driving on the rise, adding to the myriad of bad things that can happen to workers and motorists alike in a work zone, the message is as timely as it is relevant. For more, I spoke with TxDOT Deputy Executive Director John Barton.
How many times have you heard the rhetorical statement, "we can put a man on the moon, but we can't..." do something that seems simple? When it comes to technology and transportation, that question - and the urgency it represents - is becoming more and more common. Enter Brian Heath, the President and CEO of Drivewyze, a Canadian firm that may not have put a man on the moon, but may be on the path to solving some of today's most pressing - and perplexing - transportation issues. For more information about Drivewyze, log on to its website, http://drivewyze.com/.
As the Obama Presidency transitioned into a second term in January, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced his resignation. In a little over four years as SecTrans, LaHood oversaw the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which poured billions of dollars into all modes of transportation across the country, as well as helping lead the way toward the adoption of unprecedented driver safety laws, including laws against distracted driving in 39 states. I spoke with the Secretary recently on his time in office and what work he feels still needs to be done.
As a firefighter and paramedic, Armando Martinez has seen first-hand how a "Safe-Passage" or "Move-Over" law affects the security of law enforcement and emergency-response personnel called to work on the highway. As a state legislator and vice chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Rep. Martinez is looking to not only expand the Safe Passage law to include TxDOT personnel, but to address a variety of other transportation issues across the state.
While many are scratching their heads about today's electric vehicles and wondering when the battery technology might finally catch up, Wesley Smith, CEO of Wireless Advance Vehicle Electrification (WAVE), is taking an entirely different approach that's already receiving rave reviews. And as the Star Trek fan noted proudly, helping one vehicle in particular to go where none had gone before. For more information on WAVE, log on to http://www.waveipt.com.
Oil and gas exploration in Texas is booming, and the Texas economy is beginning to boom as well. On the flip side is that little of the revenue being generated from the boom is being returned to those responsible for maintaining the rural roadways that support petrochemical exploration. And as State Senator Glenn Hegar, a member of the Senate Committee on Finance told me, that gap in funding has got to be filled.
Managing the nation's transportation system means balancing both federal and state priorities. That job belongs to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and its Administrator, Victor Mendez. I spoke with the Administrator recently about his first four years in the position and what the future holds. For more information, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/.
For most of us, looking into the future is a murky proposition at best. For others, though, like Glen Hiemstra, the owner and founder of futurist.com, the future is a familiar - and hopeful - place where, as he told me, transportation needs and methods look very different from today. I spoke to Mr. Hiemstra during the 8th annual Texas Transportation Forum, Feb. 17-19, in Austin. Read more from Mr. Hiemstra on his blog, www.futurist.com.
From the smallest microchip to the largest aircraft carrier, and from cell phones to highway overpasses, modern life and technology wouldn't be possible without engineers. At TxDOT, we're the state's largest employer of civil engineers, and it's their job to make sure the highways we all drive are designed, built and maintained to the highest safety standards. National Engineers Week, which begins Sunday, takes time to celebrate those who have dedicated their lives to improving ours as well as encouraging the next generation of engineers to complete their degrees and get into the field. For more, I spoke with Harold Cobb, president of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. For more information on National Engineers Week, log on www.eweek.org.
One of the most difficult jobs any legislative body faces is writing a budget, especially when the economy is down. Most citizens understand taxation is a virtual requirement when it comes to funding law enforcement, public infrastructure and education. But what happens when there isn't enough money to pay for everything, and deals begin to be struck to divert money from one program to another? That, as State Senator Kirk Watson told me, is when the trouble starts.
Intelligent transportation systems, which range from synchronizing traffic signals to adaptive cruise control, have been on the rise around the world for the past several years. How they affect you depends on where you live and how you move between your destinations. For more on the technology behind today's, and tomorrow's, transportation systems, I spoke with Scott Belcher, President and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America at the 7th Annual Texas Transportation Forum. Join Mr. Belcher at the 8th Annual Transportation Forum on Feb. 17-19 in Austin, TX. For more information., visit http://www.txdot.gov/ttf/.
This episode originally posted in February 2012.
Americans are romantics at heart, and many of our romanticized ideals are captured in our music, everything from the lone cowboy in the Eagles' "Desperado," to the rebel in George Thorogood's anthem "Get A Haircut," to Cyndi Lauper's "I Drove All Night." And while being a cowboy can indeed be a lonely profession, and getting a haircut isn't always a bad thing, driving all night, or more specifically driving while drowsy, is becoming an American epidemic. How much of an epidemic? To find out, I spoke with Dr. Anne Wheaton of the Center For Disease Control and Prevention, better known as the CDC. To read the summary of the report, follow this link: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6151a1.htm
They say necessity is the mother of invention, but it's also the mother of innovation. Faced with an energy crunch on top of budget cuts, municipal governments in the Netherlands have begun saving tax dollars by cutting back on measures like keeping street lights lit at night. And while the street lights might have been switched off, Daan Roosegaarde, a Dutch artist and innovator, and owner of Studio Roosegaarde, switched his creativity on and began work on his "Smart Highway Project." For more, and in a TxDOT Podcast first, I put in an international call to Daan at his office in the Netherlands. Find out more about the Studio Roosegaarde "Smart Highway Project" here: http://www.studioroosegaarde.net/project/smart-highway/photo/#smart-highway
The 83rd Texas Legislature is set to open session Tuesday, January 8, and when it does, funding for all types of government agencies and programs will be at issue. As Texas’ population continues to grow, funding for transportation infrastructure will likely be a hot topic for legislative discussion. For more on what factors will influence the discussion, I spoke with Representative Drew Darby of San Angelo.
Improving the safety of the traveling public is our number one goal at TxDOT. Even though the numbers of people killed each year in traffic crashes in Texas has decreased by about 21 percent since 2003, there were still were on average 250 people killed every month in 2011. In order to bring this critical and important issue to the public's attention, in August of this year, TxDOT began displaying the year-to-date numbers of traffic deaths in Texas on more than 700 message signs each month in an attempt to remind drivers that once you get behind the wheel, you have to be ready for anything. For more, I spoke with Carol Rawson, director of TxDOT's Traffic Operations Division. This episode originally posted in October 2012.
As the TxDOT Podcast signs off for the year, host Larry Krantz looks back on some of the more than 200 episodes and guests featured since the program debuted in December 2007, and offers tips on safe holiday travels.
It's the most wonderful time of the year, but one poor decision to drink and drive could bring a devastating end to holiday celebrations. As Texans are planning to celebrate the holidays, the Texas Department of Transportation is launching a holiday campaign with a renewed focus on the importance of planning for a sober ride home. TxDOT's Holiday P.A.S.S. (Person Appointed to Stay Sober) campaign encourages Texans to give the gift of a sober ride and make it easier for sober drivers to enjoy the festivities without drinking alcohol. Holiday drinking and driving poses a serious threat for all holiday travelers on the road. During this year's holiday season, law enforcement officers throughout the state will work thousands of additional hours to crack down on drunk driving, including implementing no-refusal programs in many jurisdictions. For more, I spoke with Department of Public Safety trooper Robbie Barrera.
In the months that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005, a tidal wave of flood-damaged cars washed across the United States. While it's almost certain to happen again in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, several agencies across the country, from federal and state government to insurance companies to automotive dealers, have worked closely to protect the unsuspecting consumer from unknowingly purchasing a flood-damaged vehicle. For more, I spoke with Bill Underriner, Chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association. For more information on how to spot a flood-damaged vehicle, log on to the NADA website at www.NADA.org.
As hard as it might be to believe, the last day on which there were no fatalities on the roads in Texas was November 7, 2000. That means that in those 12 years, if only one person died each day, that would be 4,380 deaths on our roads across the state. Unfortunately, it's been nearly 10 times that number, which means that in a similar time frame, people have died on Texas roadways at roughly the same rate as our troops during the Vietnam War. For more on this epidemic, I spoke with DPS trooper Jean Dark.
Texas Highways, the official travel magazine of Texas and a product of the Texas Department of Transportation, was honored recently with five awards by International Regional Magazine Association at its annual conference in Scottsdale, Ariz. The magazine won one each of gold, silver and bronze medals, and two honorable mentions. For more, and for a preview of the December edition of the magazine, I spoke with its editor, Jill Lawless. Follow Texas Highways magazine online at www.texashighways.com.
The legend of the highway man, a psychopathic killer who roams the nation's highways and byways, is only part legend according to a new book by Ginger Strand entitled, "Killer on the Road: Violence and the American Interstate." For a completely different look at our highway system, and just in time for Halloween, I spoke with Ginger about the affect our national highway system has had on our collective psyche. Pick up a copy of Ginger Strand's "Killer on the Road: Violence and the American Interstate" at Amazon, or wherever books are sold.
One year ago this week, Phil Wilson became the first non-engineer to lead the Texas Department of Transportation. The former Secretary of State brought with him a new vision for transportation in Texas, and a new team to help him implement his vision. I spoke with Phil earlier this week about his first year as the agency's Executive Director.
You asked, we listened. Today, TxDOT is launching its newly redesigned website, located at www.txdot.gov. The new website was created specifically with the needs of Texans in mind. From drivers and individuals with a business focus to elected officials and other government staff, the new TxDOT website aims to provide cutting-edge customer service to all Texans who use it. And, with feedback opportunities on nearly every page and a new mobile-friendly interface, our goal is to keep it on the cutting edge. For more, I spoke with Andre Clemons with TxDOT's Web development team.
Improving the safety of the traveling public is our number one goal at TxDOT. Even though the numbers of people killed each year in traffic crashes in Texas has decreased by about 21 percent since 2003, there were still were on average 250 people killed every month in 2011. In order to bring this critical and important issue to the public's attention, in August of this year, TxDOT began displaying the year-to-date numbers of traffic deaths in Texas on more than 700 message signs each month in an attempt to remind drivers that once you get behind the wheel, you have to be ready for anything. For more, I spoke with Carol Rawson, director of TxDOT's Traffic Operations Division.
They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but that's no longer true of the entire state of Nevada. For the past year, an experimental self-driving car created by Google has been crisscrossing the state - and chances are that one day, and probably sooner rather than later, they'll be everywhere. For more on this unique advance in personal transportation, I spoke with Tom Jacobs, Chief Public Information Officer for the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. For more information on the Google Car, log on to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles website at www.dmvnv.com.
Working in the transportation industry, particularly when the job to be done places employees mere feet and inches from moving traffic, accidents are inevitable. But this past week, three contract employees were killed in the United States, including two here in Texas: one near Waco, the other near Lubbock. With each fatality, those of us in the transportation industry are reminded that, while valuable, the work we do every day is also dangerous - and getting more so every day. Enter the Association of General Contractors, which has formed a safety task force in an attempt to increase not only job site safety, but awareness both on the part of the worker and of the motorist. For more, I spoke with Jesse Sepeda, sub-chairman of the AGC Safety Task Force.
At one time or another, we've all asked for directions only to be told, "you can't get there from here." That may have been true at one time, but not in this day and age of technology at your fingertips. Earlier this week, TxDOT unveiled its new DriveTexas.org site, which is a comprehensive highway conditions reporting system providing web and mobile device users with real-time, visual information on the TxDOT system, including everything from construction and maintenance work, to weather conditions and accident information. For more on this exciting development, I spoke with Margo Richards, director of TxDOT's Travel Information Division. To view the site, or to plan your next trip, log on to the TxDOT website and click on the "Highway Conditions" button under the Quick Links header, or visit www.DriveTexas.org. This episode originally posted 06-22-12.
There was a time when I-35 through Central Texas was enough to accommodate the traffic that used it, but those days are long gone. Today, because of the explosive growth along I-35, particularly in the greater San Antonio, Austin and Round Rock areas, traffic is more likely to be crawling than humming, leaving motorists and freight carriers alike frustrated. Enter TxDOT's Central Texas Turnpike system, which includes MoPac, SH 45 and SH 130 toll roads that provide a relief route, and with those routes, a way out of the perpetual traffic snarls on I-35. The next step, though, is as much a step forward as it is out of the box. The SH 130 Concession Company, at its own expense in return for future toll revenues, is building and is set to open another segment of the toll road in November. For more, I spoke with Chris Lippincott with the SH 130 Concession Company.
Ever since Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike pounded the Texas coastline, the Texas Department of Transportation has been preparing for the next storm. Meanwhile, Gilbert Jordan, TxDOT's Emergency Management Coordinator, has helped the department support efforts to fight wildfires, plow snow and deliver water to communities in need. I spoke with Gilbert recently to talk about his first year as the department's emergency management coordinator. For TxDOT updates during an emergency, follow us on Twitter, @TxDOTalert. This episode originally posted June 8, 2012.
By now, it's no secret that the Panama Canal is being expanded and when that expansion is complete, more shipping tonnage than ever will be able to pass through en route to ports in the Gulf of Mexico. But will that specifically mean to more ports in Texas? In a word? Maybe. For more, I spoke with Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, who also serves as the chair of TxDOT's Panama Canal Stakeholder Working Group.
When summer vacation ends and school starts again each fall, it can be a shock to the system. Whether you're a student, a parent or a teacher, the start of school means big changes. It also means big changes if you're a motorist because of the reactivation of school zones, and school buses on the roadway. With so many changes happening so quickly, safety can sometimes get overlooked. For the cheat sheet on how to stay safe this school year, I spoke with Doug Shupe with AAA-Texas. For more on the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, log on to www.aaafoundation.org.
Nearly 10 years ago, Texas voters gave the Texas Transportation Commission, TxDOT's governing body, the authority to issue $3 billion in bonds to pay for state highway improvements. The law stipulated that 20 percent of that amount be spent on projects that would reduce crashes and improve safety across the system. The $3 billion was later increased to $6 billion. Since then, that funding has helped the department make significant improvements to more than 1,150 miles of roadways, but it begs the question: did it work? A recent study by the Texas Transportation Institute says it did, and for more on that study, I spoke with John Barton, TxDOT's Deputy Executive Director.
Several years ago, Texas Highways magazine, the official travel magazine of Texas, began running an annual feature called "True Texas." The idea was to highlight specific places or activities that make Texas unique. Due out in the September 2012 issue, this year's True Texas feature has a different twist. For more, I spoke with Texas Highways magazine Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Charles Lohrmann. For more information on Texas Highways Magazine, including how to subscribe, log on to www.texashighways.com.
Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is on a mission to modernize American infrastructure, everything from sewers to highways to air traffic control. It's one of those missions that everyone agrees with until they see the price tag. But, the former governor told me at this year's Texas Transportation Forum, money spent on repairing and improving our national infrastructure will buy a gift that keeps on giving. This episode originally posted in February.
In 2008, The Massachusetts Department of Transportation received $3 billion in dedicated funding to make statewide repairs, improvements and upgrades to its bridges. Since then, the Accelerated Bridge Program has helped reduce the number of structurally deficient bridges by 20 percent, and has done so by using a variety of innovative techniques. One such technique, called a "Heavy Lift", reduced the replacement time for one bridge in Hyde Park from months to mere hours. For more on this technique and the MassDOT bridge program, I spoke with Eliza Partington, a bridge technical coordinator.
Every year, the American Automobile Association, or Triple-A, conducts a nationwide study to determine the actual per-mile cost of owning and operating a motor vehicle. It's probably no surprise that as gasoline prices have risen in the 62 years in which the study has been done, the costs of owning a vehicle have risen exponentially, including an increase of 1.9 percent from last year. While each individuals costs may vary depending on a host of factors, from gas prices to insurance costs to congestion, the benchmark, per-mile cost of owning and operating a motor vehicle in the United States may surprise you. For more on the study, I spoke with Doug Shupe, Senior Public Affairs Specialist with AAA Texas.
So you're sitting at a traffic light waiting to turn left. But while the light in the thru-lanes stays red, the signal presents you with a flashing yellow arrow. You tell yourself, "that's new. I guess that means I need to yield?" To find out, I spoke with Carol Rawson, the director of TxDOT's Traffic Operations Division.
This episode originally posted in 2011.
It's hard to imagine Texas without the petroleum industry, and it's equally as difficult to picture Texas without a state-of-the art transportation system. In theory, the two work together, the highways allowing access to petroleum exploration and exploitation, which in turn brings money to Texas for more roads. Only that's not quite how it works in practice. In fact, the energy sector of the Texas economy, which now includes wind energy, is growing so quickly that the highway system is having trouble keeping up with repairs, let alone improvements and expansion. That reality prompted TxDOT's executive director, Phil Wilson, to take the lead in forming the Task Force on Texas' Energy Sector Roadway Needs in March of this year, with the stated goals of bringing together state agencies, local governments and the energy industry to improve not only the conditions of the roadways impacted by the energy sector, but the safety and longevity of those roads as well. For more information on the task force and its mission, log on to www.roadsfortexasenergy.com.
At one time or another, we've all asked for directions only to be told, "you can't get there from here." That may have been true at one time, but not in this day and age of technology at your fingertips. Earlier this week, TxDOT unveiled its new DriveTexas.org site, which is a comprehensive highway conditions reporting system providing web and mobile device users with real-time, visual information on the TxDOT system, including everything from construction and maintenance work, to weather conditions and accident information. For more on this exciting development, I spoke with Margo Richards, director of TxDOT's Travel Information Division. To view the site, or to plan your next trip, log on to the TxDOT website and click on the "Highway Conditions" button under the Quick Links header, or visit www.DriveTexas.org.
Dr. Franz-Josef Ulm, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was stumped when his daughter asked him what on its face sounded like a reasonable question: "What kind of mileage does a highway get?" That question sparked Dr. Ulm's imagination and led to a study he completed recently looking at the impact roadways have on fuel consumption, and how that relationship might be improved to the betterment not only of the motorist's pocket book, but the environment as well.
Ever since Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike pounded the Texas coastline, the Texas Department of Transportation has been preparing for the next storm. Meanwhile, Gilbert Jordan, TxDOT's Emergency Management Coordinator, has helped the department support efforts to fight wildfires, plow snow and deliver water to communities in need. I spoke with Gilbert recently to talk about his first year as the department's emergency management coordinator. For TxDOT updates during an emergency, follow us on Twitter, @TxDOTalert.
From the 2012 Texas Transportation Forum: Intelligent transportation systems, which range from synchronizing traffic signals to adaptive cruise control, have been on the rise around the world for the past several years. How they affect you depends on where you live and how you move between your destinations. For more on the technology behind today's - and tomorrow's - transportation systems, I spoke with Scott Belcher, President and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America. For more information on the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, log on to their website, www.itsa.org.
Note:This episode originally posted in February 2012.
Summertime in Texas has come to be wildfire time, especially in the last few years, and it's no surprise that those fires have been helped along by statewide drought conditions despite recent spring rains. But what if there was a way to identify the areas of the state most likely to burn in a given year and act early to help prevent or at least minimize the risk? As it turns out, there is such a tool, called TxWRAP, or Texas Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal, provided by the Texas Forest Service. For more on the TxWRAP program, I spoke with Tom Spencer with the Texas Forest Service. To view the TxWRAP site, log on to www.texaswildfirerisk.com.
They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but that's no longer true of the entire state of Nevada. For the past year, an experimental self-driving car created by Google has been crisscrossing the state - and chances are that one day, and probably sooner rather than later, they'll be everywhere. For more on this unique advance in personal transportation, I spoke with Tom Jacobs, Chief Public Information Officer for the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. For more information on the Google Car, log on to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles website at www.dmvnv.com.
Study after study has illustrated the danger posed by teen drivers because of their inexperience behind the wheel. But the latest study, released earlier this week by the AAA Foundation and AAA Texas, takes a new perspective-the hazards posed by teen passengers riding with teen drivers. For more on the study, I spoke with Doug Shupe, Senior Public Affairs Specialist with AAA Texas. For more information, or to read the study, log on to the AAA Foundation website at www.aaafoundation.org.
Texas Highways Magazine, the official travel magazine of Texas, has been helping grow tourism in Texas since 1974. Combined with award-winning photography, its coverage of major Texas tourist attractions as well as revealing some lesser-known nooks and crannies around the state makes the magazine a leader in its field. In the last few months, however, Texas Highways has taken on a new role in addition to its traditional roles. Quite accidentally, the magazine featured a story on Bastrop State Park that hit newsstands and mailboxes around the state and around the country the same week the park began to burn in last year's wildfires. The response from readers was not only touching, it was enlightening as well, prompting the magazine to follow Bastrop's recovery since the fire in an upcoming edition, chronicling not only the rebuilding of a community, but of a tourist destination as well. For more on this story, we talk with Texas Highways Magazine managing editor Charles Lohrmann. To subscribe to Texas Highways Magazine, or to its social media components, log on to the Texas Highways Magazine website, www.texashighways.com.
By now, just about every Texan knows that the I-35 corridor in Central Texas is the busiest in the state. It’s also in the greatest need of expansion. In the coming years, the Texas Department of Transportation has plans to do more than $1 billion of work expanding I-35, particularly in the 100-mile stretch between the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and Salado. But the projects aren’t only about improving I-35, they’re about improving communication as well. For more on that improvement, I spoke with Jim Dale, the I-35 Mobility Coordinator. This episode originally aired in December 2011.
On January 14, 2000, TxDOT special jobs crew supervisor Elgin Wendell was called to the scene of an accident where an oversize load had struck and damaged an overpass on I-35 in Austin. As his crews worked to first clear the debris and then assess the damage, an 18-wheeler drove unexpectedly into the coned-off work zone. In the blink of an eye, the speeding rig plowed through several TxDOT vehicles and pieces of equipment and ran over Wendell and his assistant before finally coming to a stop. Wendell survived, and even went back to work for TxDOT, but as he told me, he hasn't ever looked at work zones the same way.
Former United States Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta left office in 2006, and yet his legacy lives on today. Author of the first of several transportation reauthorization bills in his time in the U.S. Congress and as the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Mineta was Secretary of Transportation when the most recent transportation authorization bill - the now - expired SAFETEA-LU was passed into law in 2005. In the meantime, instead of a writing new federal transportation reauthorization bill, Congress has reauthorized SAFETEA-LU ten times since it expired in 2009. For more on the impact of those temporary reauthorizations and how transportation has changed since SAFETEA-LU was passed into law, I spoke with the former Secretary and current Global Vice Chairman of Hill & Knowlton.
Note:This episode originally posted in July 2011.
Do you remember where you were on September 30, 2009? If that date doesn't ring a bell, it should if you're interested in transportation. September 30, 2009 was the last day of the SAFETEA-LU Federal Surface Transportation bill, which in short sets the federal gas tax rate and distributes the proceeds across the country according to the formula in the bill. A little more than two-and-a-half years later, SAFETEA-LU, which was insolvent when it expired, has been extended nine times by dipping into other federal funding. The latest extension came on March 31, which kept SAFETEA-LU alive for another three months. The repeated extensions while Congress wrestles with the creation of a new bill begs two questions: first, what's the holdup, and second, why do we need a federal transportation bill? To help answer those questions, I spoke with Coby Chase, Director of TxDOT's Federal Legislative Affairs Section.
We've all been there at one time or another: at the bitter end of a long road trip, eyes getting heavy as the miles click by, thinking it would be a good idea to pull over but fighting the urge because we want to get to our destination. While understandable, that decision can have deadly consequences, especially in a state as large as Texas, where the next exit, let alone the next town can be miles apart. From that need for rest behind the wheel has come TxDOT's Safety Rest Area program and with it, as TxDOT's Andy Keith told me, the ever-growing collection of unique-yet-functional roadside monuments to all things Texas.
We've all made reference at one time or another to concrete and its inherent strength. Sayings like "hard as concrete" or "set in concrete" are our way of saying something is rock solid and always will be. It's possible that even the ancient Romans had such sayings. In his book, "Concrete Planet: The Strange and Fascinating Story of the World's Most Common Man-made Material," author Robert Courland looks back not only at the history of concrete, but forward to how concrete is still changing the way we shape the world we live in.
Throwing money at problems is rarely an effective solution to those problems, particularly when there is little or no money to be thrown around. That's where the group Transportation Advocates of Texas comes in. And as its chairman Jim Reed told me at this year's Texas Transportation Forum, Texans are much more willing to spend money on local solutions rather than throw money at statewide problems. Find out more about the Transportation Advocates of Texas at their website, www.transportationadvocatesoftexas.org.
It's been nearly 10 years since Texas began discussing the possibility of using public-private partnerships, or P3's as a means for delivering state-level transportation projects. Since then, the Trans-Texas Corridor has come and gone, the economy has gone from boom to bust to recovery, and the population of Texas has grown by 20 percent. With no new sustainable revenue streams opening for transportation, Texas is again looking at public-private partnerships to build transportation infrastructure. Once on the TxDOT side and now on the private-sector side, Phil Russell, Senior Vice President and Director of P3 Delivery at H.W. Lochner, Inc. sat down with me at this year's transportation forum to discuss how P3s have changed.
Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is on a mission to modernize American infrastructure, everything from sewers to highways to air traffic control. It's one of those missions that everyone agrees with until they see the price tag. But, as the former governor told me at this year's Texas Transportation Forum, money spent on repairing and improving our national infrastructure will buy us all a gift that keeps on giving.
Intelligent transportation systems, which range from synchronizing traffic signals to adaptive cruise control, have been on the rise around the world for the past several years. How they affect you depends on where you live and how you move between your destinations.
For more on the technology behind today's – and tomorrow's – transportation systems, I spoke with Scott Belcher, President and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America at the 7th Annual Texas Transportation Forum.
When asked to think about San Antonio, most people picture the Alamo or the Riverwalk. But two years ago, San Antonio was gaining notoriety for something less inviting: wrong-way drivers.
Spurred into action by this alarming trend, San Antonio Police Captain Patrick Murnin began studying the problem, and today, that research and the actions that have come from it, are stemming the tide of what was becoming a deadly problem.
Few people have been as involved in transportation in the past few years as Hope Andrade, Texas Secretary of State. Prior to her appointment to that position, the Secretary was a member of the Texas Transportation Commission, including several months as its interim chairman. As she told me during our interview, that time on the commission helped shape her perspective on the role transportation plays in the vitality of the state. Meet the Secretary at the Seventh Annual Texas Transportation Forum, February 15-17 in San Antonio. For more information, or to register, log on to our web site, www.txdot.gov/ttf.
From the 2011 Texas Transportation Forum: Most of the discussion surrounding international trade, particularly when it involves borders, makes reference to the U.S. - Mexican Border. But what about our Canadian neighbors to the north? The Ports to Plains Alliance, which is based in Lubbock, is an advocacy group focused on streamlining United States trade with both Canada and Mexico. For more on what the coalition means to Canada, I spoke with Len Mitzel, member of the legislative assembly for the Province of Alberta.
Note: This episode was originally recorded in January 2011.
2011 was a big year for the Texas Department of Transportation, and it was a small year as well. In the first full year of the department's "Safety: Mission Zero" plan, the department set record lows for incidents and accidents that caused employees and equipment to miss time on the job. It was also a year in which no TxDOT employee was killed on the job, something that is a very real possibility for many department employees. For more on these safety achievements, I spoke with Jerral Wyer, the director of TxDOT's Occupational Safety Division.
From the 2009 Texas Transportation Forum: Former U.S. House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt speaks about the possibilities for the latest economic stimulus package, and on the upcoming federal transportation reauthorization bill.
Note: This episode was originally recorded in January 2009.
From ice storms and wildfires that made national headlines to record numbers of projects sent to contract and construction and, oh yeah, a new executive director, the Texas Department of Transportation had a busy year in 2011. For a look back at the year that was, I spoke with TxDOTs Deputy Executive Director John Barton.
On December 13, 2011, the National Transportation Safety Board, a federal agency dedicated to investigating transportation-related accidents, recommended a nationwide ban on personal electronic devices while driving. The recommendation was the result of an investigation of a fatal crash in Missouri where a pickup truck rear-ended an 18-wheel truck in a work zone, and was then rear-ended by a school bus, which in turn was hit by a second school bus. Two people died, 38 more were injured and during its investigation, the NTSB learned that the driver of the pickup who started the chain reaction had sent or received 11 texts in as many minutes leading up to the crash, including receiving one moments before impact. For more on the NTSB and its latest recommendation, I spoke with its chairman, Deborah Hersman. To find out more about this recommendation or about the NTSB, log on to their web site, www.ntsb.gov.
From the 2010 Texas Transportation Forum: The recent economic crisis forced many Americans and many American companies to take a hard look in the mirror and make some difficult decisions. Few companies were faced with harder look than the group known as the "Big Three," American automakers Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors. While these companies struggled, others, like the Nissan Motor Company, were looking past the crisis to determine what kinds of cars Americans would want to buy when credit became available again. For more on Nissan's insights, I spoke with Mark Perry, Director of Product Planning.
Note: This episode was originally recorded in January 2010.
By now, just about every Texan knows that the I-35 corridor in Central Texas is the busiest in the state. It's also in the greatest need of expansion. In the coming years, the Texas Department of Transportation has plans to do more than $1 billion of work expanding I-35, particularly in the 100-mile stretch between the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and Salado. But the projects aren't only about improving I-35, they're about improving communication as well. For more on that improvement, I spoke with Jim Dale, the I-35 Mobility Coordinator. To take the survey, log on to www.my35survey.org.
From the 2011 annual Texas Transportation Forum: El Paso Mayor John Cook, who received a Texas Road Hand Award at this year's forum, was recognized by the department for his work in bringing a variety of transportation projects and improvements to El Paso. But, as the mayor told me, bringing transportation projects to El Paso can mean jobs on both sides of the U.S. - Mexico border.
Note: This episode was originally recorded in January 2011.
TxDOT's Galveston-Bolivar ferry system welcomed its newest boat earlier today, the John W. Johnson, a $24 million vessel named for the former Texas Transportation Commissioner. The new boat is the first to be added to the Galveston line in nearly 20 years. In operation since 1940, the Galvestion Ferry is one of two ferry lines the department operates free of charge. For more on the newest addition, I spoke with Bill Mallini, the Galveston Ferry Operations Manager. For more information on TxDOT's ferry operations, log on to the TxDOT website and search keyword "Ferry."
The Thanksgiving holiday is one of the busiest in terms of travelers taking to the highways, but it's also noteworthy for something else: football. Unfortunately, that also means an increase in crashes involving alcohol-impaired motorists. In response, TxDOT is ramping up its football-related traffic safety program, entitled, "Know When to Pass," aimed at encouraging fans to think ahead on game day and either pass on the alcohol or be prepared to pass their keys. For more on this program, I spoke with Terry Pence, the Director of TxDOT's Traffic Safety Section. For more information on the Know When to Pass campaign, log on to the TxDOT website and search keywords, "Know When to Pass."
Plowing snow in some parts of Texas is nothing new, and since 2006, TxDOT's Amarillo District has been actively educating motorists about the dangers involved. This year, though, the public awareness campaign called, "Don't Take a Chance: Don't Crowd the Plow" is going interactive. For more on the campaign, I spoke to its creator, TxDOT public information officer Paul Braun.
For the first time in TxDOT history, the department's executive director is not an engineer. Phil Wilson, former Texas Secretary of State and senior vice president of public affairs for Luminant, a Dallas-based electric generation company, took office on October 17 and immediately began a crash course in transportation. Two weeks later, I caught up with him at his office in Austin to find out what he expected to find when he arrived, what he found, and in which direction he plans to lead the department.
For the past 27 years, Griff Smith, the photo editor for Texas Highways Magazine, has traveled throughout Texas looking for that perfect shot. And he's found hundreds of them. Earlier this year, Smith’s work was honored and displayed at Sam Houston State University. Now it’s time for the encore. Fifty-eight of Smith’s most famous images will be on display at the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio through March 25. I spoke with Griff recently about this new honor and what it means. For more information about the exhibit, call 210-458-2300 or visit TexanCultures.com. Catch a preview of the exhibit at the 7th Annual Transportation Forum, to be held February 15-17 at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio. For more information, or to register, log on to the TxDOT web site and click on the forum link on the home page.
In its August 2011 meeting, the Texas Transportation Commission selected TxDOT's new executive director, Phil Wilson, who officially takes over the reins of the department on Oct. 17. He'll be leading one of the top DOTs in the nation, and guiding it through an ongoing, agency-wide modernization effort. The role of TxDOT's top leader is one of the most high-profile positions among Texas' state agencies, and no one knows that better than Mike Behrens, former TxDOT executive director who led the department from 2001 to 2007. Earlier this year, during the annual Texas Transportation Forum, I talked to Behrens about his time at TxDOT's helm. The interview portion of this episode was originally posted in February.
We've all sat in traffic, and probably even wondered aloud where all of it seems to come from. According to the Texas Transportation Institutes 2011 Urban Mobility Report, while traffic congestion is irritating to everyone, its significance varies. For more on the study, I spoke with Dr. Tim Lomax, a research engineer at TTI. To read the 2011 Urban Mobility Report, log on to http://mobility.tamu.edu.
There was a time when TxDOT wasn't directly involved in responding to emergencies or natural disasters. Then came Hurricane Rita and the massive evacuation of the greater Houston area. Since then, the department has taken a variety of roles in responding to a wide range of emergency situations, from clearing roads for first responders after Hurricane Ike, to this year's Super Bowl, to this summer's wildfires. For more on TxDOT's role in responding to statewide emergencies, I spoke with David Casteel, TxDOT's Assistant Executive Director for Field and District Operations.
Among the millions of Americans who found themselves at a crossroads on the morning of September 11, 2001, few faced a tougher decision than then-Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, who in response to the hijacked airplanes crashing into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, took the unprecedented steps of grounding all domestic air traffic in the United States, and diverting all incoming international air traffic to Canada. In the days that followed, while other authorities were beginning their investigations into the attacks themselves, Mineta was charged with looking forward and improving the security of the nations transportation, which among other efforts led to the creation of the Transportation Security Administration. For more on his role on that fateful day, and the legacy those attacks left on transportation in the United States, I spoke with Secretary Mineta, now Global Vice Chairman at Hill and Knowlton in Washington, D.C.
Any laws passed by the 82nd Legislature go into effect today, including a handful of bills relating to speed limits in Texas. For more on the new laws, I spoke to TxDOT Speed Zone Engineer Darren McDaniel.
In the process of building and maintaining highways across the state, TxDOT uses a variety of measurements. Among them, traffic counts are perhaps the most telling, since the number of vehicles on the roadway can help designers determine how the roadway will hold up, and help maintenance workers determine when maintenance might be needed. A wild card in that process, however, is the weather. Particularly extreme weather. And nowhere in Texas has the weather been more extreme or detrimental to the pavement this year than in Austin. For more on the weather's effects on roadways, I spoke with Lowell Choate, Director of Maintenance in the Austin District.
Note: This episode was originally recorded in late 2009.
The first steps to make I-69 a reality in Texas occurred earlier this month when the Federal Highway Administration informed TxDOT that it had granted a request to add part of US 77 to the Interstate system. Stretching six miles between Interstate 37 and SH 44 in South Texas, the request to redesignate the route reflected the combined wishes and support of the Texas Congressional Delegation, the Texas Legislature, local officials and citizen-led I-69 advisory and segment committees. Unlike its sister and brother numbered Interstate routes, Interstate 69 was an afterthought to the planners of the original Interstate highway system. In fact, planning only began 20 years ago for I-69, a route that could one day begin at the U.S.-Mexico Border in Laredo, pass through seven states, and finally cross into Canada through Michigan. But as Matt Delliger outlined in his book, Interstate 69: The Unfinished History of the Last Great American Highway, I-69 has a long way to go, not only in Texas but along its entire proposed route. Read more from Matt Delliger at his web site, www.mattdellinger.com.
Note: This episode was originally recorded in late 2010.
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously noted that the only constant in life is change. He could have been speaking about the Texas Department of Transportation, particularly under the leadership of outgoing executive director Amadeo Saenz. Saenz, who will retire at the end of August, has been at the helm of the good ship TxDOT as it navigated some of the worst rocks and shoals in its 90-year history, but his dedication and perseverance have taken TxDOT over the horizon and into a new era. I spoke with Mr. Saenz recently for a retrospective on his 34 years at TxDOT.
Faced with the problem of traffic waiting through multiple signal cycles at one of its busiest intersections, Legacy and Preston, the city of Plano decided to try something different. The result, commonly called a Michigan Left Turn or Median Left Turn, asks motorists who wish to turn left, to turn right instead and then make a u-turn. One year later, the experiment is an unqualified success. To find out more, I spoke with Lloyd Neal, the city's Traffic Engineering Manager.
Labeled by the media as "Carmageddon", the decision by California's Department of Transportation, known as CalTrans, to close a portion of Interstate 405 in Southern California over a recent weekend initially drew some harsh criticism. And then, as if waking from a bad dream the following Monday morning, the 405 was back open and operating as normal. For more on what CalTrans did and why; I spoke with CalTrans public information officer Judy Gish.
So you're sitting at a traffic light waiting to turn left. But while the light in the thru-lanes stays red, the signal presents you with a flashing yellow arrow. You tell yourself, "that's new. I guess that means I need to yield?" To find out, I spoke with Carol Rawson, the director of TxDOT's Traffic Operations Division.
The current federal transportation reauthorization bill, SAFTEA-LU, was signed into law in 2005 and expired in 2009. Since it expired, it has been continued more than 10 times at a cost of billions of dollars to keep money flowing for federal-aid and federally funded transportation projects across the nation. But a new bill is finally in the works. Sponsored by House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica of Florida, the bill, entitled 'A New Direction', is moving forward on a foundation of back to basics. For some insight into the draft bill, I spoke with a member of the T&I committee, Freshman Congressman Blake Farenthold of the Texas 27th.
Former United States Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta left office in 2006, and yet his legacy lives on today. Author of the first of several transportation reauthorization bills in his time in the U.S. Congress and as the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Mineta was Secretary of Transportation when the most recent transportation authorization bill - the now-expired SAFETEA-LU - was passed into law in 2005. In the meantime, instead of a writing new federal transportation reauthorization bill, Congress has reauthorized SAFETEA-LU ten times since it expired in 2009. For more on the impact of those temporary reauthorizations and how transportation has changed since SAFETEA-LU was passed into law, I spoke with the former Secretary and current Global Vice Chairman of Hill & Knowlton.
Every summer, as the temperatures rise, so do fatal crashes involving teens, prompting the American Automobile Association, also known as Triple A, to launch its "100 Deadliest Days of Summer" campaign. For more on the campaign, I spoke with Sonta Henderson, a government affairs and community relations specialist for AAA Texas. For more information on discussing safe driving with your teen or just developing safer driving habits for yourself, log on to teendriving.aaa.com.
The movie Cars 2 opened June 24, and over the next few weeks and months, millions of Americans particularly children will see the movie. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, has created a series of public service announcements featuring characters from the movie in hopes of helping to get its traffic safety message across. To find out more, I spoke with NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. Find the NHTSA-Cars 2 public service announcement on YouTube by searching keywords: Only Bad Guys Drive Distracted.
As the temperature rises in Texas, so does the risk of wildfires. Perhaps no one knows that better than the Texas Forest Service, which is the main state agency involved in coordinating the overall response to the dozens of wildfires burning across the state. But the springtime drought conditions in East Texas have thrown responders a curveball. To find out more, I spoke with David Abernathy, Assistant Chief of the Texas Forest Service's Incident Response Department.
Taking the scenic route typically means taking the long way around. Unless you're talking about taking one of TxDOT's ferry boats. Operating 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, the fleet of TxDOT ferry boats in Galveston and Port Aransas help an average of 11,000 cars per day take the scenic route and a short cut at the same time. For more on TxDOT ferry operations, I spoke with Bill Mallini, TxDOT's Galveston Ferry Operations Manager. To find out more about TxDOT's ferry operations, log on to the TxDOT web site and search keyword: marine.
While most of us in Texas were enjoying the long Memorial Day weekend, our neighbors to the northeast in Missouri were still picking up the pieces from one of the biggest and deadliest tornadoes in United States history. For more on the recovery effort in the greater Joplin area, I spoke with Becky Baltz, District 7 Engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation.
The top four causes of death in America each year are medically related. In order, they are: heart disease, cancer, stroke and lower respiratory diseases. The fifth leading cause? Accidents. A recent study conducted by the University of Texas showed that even though teenaged drivers make up only six percent of all the drivers on the road, they are involved in over 12 percent of all the fatal crashes. That statistic makes traffic crashes the leading cause of death for their age group. For more on this study, I spoke with Dr. Chandra Bhat, professor of Civil Archetecture and Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas.
A recent survey by the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety at the University of Minnesota highlighted a glaring dichotomy: motorists' feelings of security on rural roadways are almost completely at odds with the facts. This week's episode is the first of a two-part series on rural roadway safety, as seen from a national perspective and from our perspective here in Texas. For more on the national perspective and its implications, I spoke with Lee Munich, director of the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety. For more information on the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety, visit their website at www.ruralsafety.umn.edu.
Every little bit helps, and in this case, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Texas $15 million this week to begin preliminary engineering and environmental studies for developing a proposed high-speed rail line between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston. The concept rail line would connect two of the nation's biggest metropolitan areas with trains reaching speeds in excess of 150 mph. The process itself, however, won't be quite as fast. For more on the latest chapter of high speed rail in Texas, I spoke with Bill Glavin, director of TxDOT's Rail Division. For more information about transportation by rail in Texas, log on to the TxDOT web site and click on the locomotive icon in the lower left hand corner of the home page.
Everything's bigger in Texas, including the number of people killed each year on Texas highways. But recently that number is declining thanks in no small part to TxDOT's Click-It-Or-Ticket program, which in the last decade has pushed seatbelt use in Texas past 90 percent. For more on the Click-It-Or-Ticket program, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, I spoke with Tom Vinger, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety. Click-It-Or-Ticket enforcement begins Monday, May 23 and runs through Sunday, June 5. For more information on the Click-It-Or-Ticket program, log on to www.texasclickitorticket.com.
When disaster strikes in Texas, whether it be hurricanes, extreme winter weather, or raging wildfires, the Texas Department of Transportation plays a role in battling those conditions. We've talked at length on this podcast about hurricane and winter weather preparedness, but as more than one million acres in Texas have burned or are burning, what is TxDOT's role in the ongoing massive firefighting effort? To find out, I spoke with Carla Baze, TxDOT's Emergency Management Coordinator.
More than half of Texas' 80,000 centerline mile highway system is made up of the mostly rural, narrow Farm-to-Market roads. Built mostly in the 1950s and 1960s, these roads are some of the oldest in the state and were built for an era when the speed limit and traffic volumes were much lower than they are today. Making these roads safer for today's motorists has posed a challenge, but one TxDOT is up for. For more on TxDOT's renewed commitment to traffic safety, particularly on rural roadways, I spoke with Carol Rawson, director of TxDOT's Traffic Operations Division.
With gasoline prices on the rise for the fifth straight week, we're all feeling a pinch at the pump. But what does it really cost to drive your car? The answer, which is calculated through a multi-variable formula in a report by the American Automobile Association, or AAA, is nearly 60 cents per mile for the average motorist. For more on the report, I spoke with AAA-Texas spokesman Dan Ronan. For more information on the AAA report, log on to www.aaapublicaffairs.com.
Distracted Driving is not a new phenomenon. Before cell phones and ipods there were radios and noisy kids in the back seat. But in the past few years, distracted driving has taken a deadly turn. With the advent and mainstreaming of texting, in-car distractions now not only rob our attention from the road, but require hands to be taken from the steering wheel. As a result, TxDOT and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, have partnered to launch the "Talk. Text. Crash." Campaign as part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of distracted driving, particularly when that distraction is texting. To find out more, I spoke with Terry Pence, Director of TxDOT's Traffic Safety Section.
Work zone ahead. Flagger ahead. Be prepared to stop. Traffic fines double when workers are present. These are just a few of the signs you might see in any work zone along Texas highways. But for some motorists, those warning signs aren't enough to get their attention. As a result, there were more than 15,000 wrecks in Texas work zones in 2009, which resulted in more than 100 fatalities. And here's the kicker - four out of five of those fatalities were drivers or their passengers, not construction workers. To help raise awareness of the caution required of both workers and motorists in work zones, TxDOT is teaming up with the Federal Highway Administration to support National Work Zone Awareness Week, which begins Monday. For more on National Work Zone Awareness Week, I spoke with Jerral Wyer, Director of TxDOT's Occupational Safety Division.
Five years into its existence, TxDOT and the Central Texas Turnpike Authority are considering the SH 130 Toll Road in the Austin area to be a huge success ... except with truckers. As a result, the Texas Transportation Commission, TxDOTs governing body, voted in February to reduce the toll rate for trucks on the SH 130 and SH 45 toll roads in hopes of luring some of the trucks away from the congestion on I-35 throughout the greater Austin area. For more on this decision, I spoke with Mark Tomlinson, the Director of TxDOTs Texas Turnpike Authority.
If you received an itemized bill for the highway system in Texas, most of the items you'd find wouldn't surprise you. The department spends millions each year on asphalt, gasoline, and equipment repairs just to keep the roadways open. And then you'd see a $47 million item for ... litter clean-up? Could that be right? To find out more about that cost and what TxDOT is doing to bring it down, I spoke with Brenda Flores-Dollar, the program director for the Don't Mess With Texas program.
When gasoline prices spiked three years ago, many Americans fought back by purchasing more efficient vehicles. With gasoline prices on the rise again, Americans looking for fuel efficiency have more options this time, such as hybrid and electric vehicles that were all but unavailable three years ago. While increased fuel efficiency is good for the family checkbook and our dependence on foreign oil, it's hard on transportation agencies that depend on per-gallon fuel tax revenues for their core funding. With the system's breaking point coming more and more into focus, I spoke with futurist Garry Golden, of New York-based Future Think, on what the possible solutions might be.
For the past 27 years, Griff Smith, the photo editor for Texas Highways Magazine, has travelled throughout Texas looking for that perfect shot. And he's found hundreds of them. Now, beginning Saturday and lasting through the end of June, the very best of Griff's photos, entitled "Griff Smith's Texas: 25 Years of Lone Star Photographic Moments" will be on display at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum in Huntsville. For more about what's on display, and some of his favorite moments behind taking the photos, I spoke with Griff on the eve of the grand opening.
Planning an infrastructure network based on steady economic growth is a challenge, mainly focused on keeping up with demand. But what happens to that network once that growth slows, or even declines, leaving large parts of the system unused and all of it underfunded? While state transportation agencies across the nation grapple with this problem, Matt Rose, President and CEO of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and who was just named to President Obamas Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, told me during this years Texas Transportation Forum that the railroads have been down this road before, and learned some hard lessons that have shaped the way they plan for the future.
Among the many distinguished guests we welcomed onto the Podcast during this past January's Texas Transportation Forum in Austin was Mike Behrens, the previous executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation. Since his departure three years ago, the department has been through a lot of changes, not only in how it's organized from the ground up, but in how it's managed and how it conducts the business of providing a world-class transportation system.
Now that Super Bowl XLV is in the record books and the roadways have cleared from the storm that hit in the days leading up to the game, its only natural to take stock of the situation and think about the week that was. And what a week. For more on TxDOTs role in making sure Super Bowl XLV could happen, I spoke with Steve Simmons, TxDOTs Deputy Executive Director.
From May 2009: Any project to expand the interstate in a heavily populated area such as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is by its very nature going to be a massive undertaking. And while driving through such a project can be an inconvenience, especially on a daily commute, such projects have an untold upside that can last for generations. In Arlington, where TxDOT is widening Interstate 30, one such benefit has been the billion-dollar construction of Cowboy Stadium. For more on what expanding Interstate 30 has meant - and will mean - to the city of Arlington, the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and the State of Texas, I spoke with Jay Burress, President and CEO of the Arlington Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
For the host city, planning for a Super Bowl begins years in advance of the game itself. But the Super Bowl is more than just a game. It's a week-long event with over 200 attractions across the host region that brings tens of thousands of people to the area on top of those who plan to attend the game - and those visitors are in addition to the hundreds of thousands of residents who use those same roads and venues every day. Effective transportation, therefore, is crucial to the overall success of any Super Bowl event. With that in mind, I spoke with Michael Morris, Director of Transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, who was a key leader in the creation of the transportation plan that helped bring Super Bowl XLV to Texas.
It's been called many names, including Loop 49 and the 'Road to Nowhere,' but the first phase of Toll 49, the centerpiece project of the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority is about to take one step closer to another term: done. Thanks to a first-of-its kind financing agreement between TxDOT and the NETRMA, the largest and perhaps the keystone segment of the project is scheduled to break ground today. For more on the project and how it came into being, I spoke with NETRMA Chairman Jeff Austin III.
El Paso Mayor John Cook, who received a Texas Road Hand Award at this year's forum, was recognized by the department for his work in bringing a variety of transportation projects and improvements to El Paso. But, as the mayor told me, bringing transportation projects to El Paso can mean jobs on both sides of the U.S. - Mexico border.
Most of the discussion surrounding international trade, particularly when it involves borders, makes reference to the U.S. - Mexican Border. But what about our Canadian neighbors to the north? The Ports to Plains Alliance, which is based in Lubbock, is an advocacy group focused on streamlining United States trade with both Canada and Mexico. For more on what the coalition means to Canada, I spoke with Len Mitzel, member of the legislative assembly for the Province of Alberta.