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- [Narrator] As demand on
our transportation system

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increases, so does the need for innovation

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in addressing the state's
transportation challenges.

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The Texas Department of
Transportation and researchers

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with the Texas A&M
Transportation Institute

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explored several new and
innovative freight strategies

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and technologies that
could be coming to Texas.

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- TxDOT is always looking
for ways to improve movement

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of people and goods.

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And this project is focused
on freight movement.

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It's actually phase three of a multi-phase

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innovative project that was initiated

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by TxDOT several years ago.

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- [Narrator] In the first
phase of the project,

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researchers reviewed 57
innovative freight strategies

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and technologies from around the world.

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The team then narrowed
the selection to nine,

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and in phase two conducted an analysis

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to determine their effectiveness

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in improving freight movement in Texas

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- Phase three, which is
the focus of this project,

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we took some of those technologies

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and we applied them in the field.

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It took it from a academic,
clinical research-type project

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into implementing some
of these in the field

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or further testing them.

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- [Narrator] The research team conducted

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six project activities in a number

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of freight-intensive locations in Texas.

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The first three activities looked at ports

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and addressed issues such
as truck signal priority

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and train detection to prevent blockages.

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- PA 4 was a little bit different.

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This one was simulation of
truck-only lanes on I-20

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between Dallas and Fort Worth.

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This was simulation only,

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but we looked at several
different places where trucks

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tend to get congested

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and look to see if a
truck-only lane addition

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would improve traffic flow.

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PA 5 was looking at truck parking.

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Truck parking is a big
issue throughout the state.

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We went over to the state safety
rest areas in Walker County

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and we developed a truck parking test bed

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where we implemented a number of systems

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looking at counting the
trucks on the way in

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and the trucks on the way out

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so that that information could be sent out

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to truckers on the highway
using changeable message signs.

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The last one, PA 6, was at the border.

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We worked with DPS and
the Federal Motor Carrier

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Administration to look at different ways

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to provide information on trucks

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to try to streamline the process

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for trucks entering the United States.

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I think the key finding
we had was that TxDOT

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needs to continue on an
ongoing basis to look for

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new and different ways
to apply both technology

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and different strategies to
improve freight movement.

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This is especially true at
specialized freight locations

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around rail yards, ports, at the border,

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or other places where
there's freight-intensive

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traffic in the state.

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- [Announcer] For more information

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and to find the publications
for this project,

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please visit the TxDOT Research Library

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at the link shown below.