- [Narrator] As demand on our transportation system
increases, so does the need for innovation
in addressing the state's transportation challenges.
The Texas Department of Transportation and researchers
with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute
explored several new and innovative freight strategies
and technologies that could be coming to Texas.
- TxDOT is always looking for ways to improve movement
of people and goods.
And this project is focused on freight movement.
It's actually phase three of a multi-phase
innovative project that was initiated
by TxDOT several years ago.
- [Narrator] In the first phase of the project,
researchers reviewed 57 innovative freight strategies
and technologies from around the world.
The team then narrowed the selection to nine,
and in phase two conducted an analysis
to determine their effectiveness
in improving freight movement in Texas
- Phase three, which is the focus of this project,
we took some of those technologies
and we applied them in the field.
It took it from a academic, clinical research-type project
into implementing some of these in the field
or further testing them.
- [Narrator] The research team conducted
six project activities in a number
of freight-intensive locations in Texas.
The first three activities looked at ports
and addressed issues such as truck signal priority
and train detection to prevent blockages.
- PA 4 was a little bit different.
This one was simulation of truck-only lanes on I-20
between Dallas and Fort Worth.
This was simulation only,
but we looked at several different places where trucks
tend to get congested
and look to see if a truck-only lane addition
would improve traffic flow.
PA 5 was looking at truck parking.
Truck parking is a big issue throughout the state.
We went over to the state safety rest areas in Walker County
and we developed a truck parking test bed
where we implemented a number of systems
looking at counting the trucks on the way in
and the trucks on the way out
so that that information could be sent out
to truckers on the highway using changeable message signs.
The last one, PA 6, was at the border.
We worked with DPS and the Federal Motor Carrier
Administration to look at different ways
to provide information on trucks
to try to streamline the process
for trucks entering the United States.
I think the key finding we had was that TxDOT
needs to continue on an ongoing basis to look for
new and different ways to apply both technology
and different strategies to improve freight movement.
This is especially true at specialized freight locations
around rail yards, ports, at the border,
or other places where there's freight-intensive
traffic in the state.
- [Announcer] For more information
and to find the publications for this project,
please visit the TxDOT Research Library
at the link shown below.