Thinking Transportation: Engaging Conversations about Transportation Innovations

Latest Episodes:

Roadside Mysteries: When utilities pose unique challenges for roadway construction. Mar 05, 2024

Show notes

Every road construction project involves the hidden element of utilities in the right of way. That work isn’t necessarily as visible, but it’s every bit as consequential.

Is Public Transit Back to Pre-pandemic Normal? That depends on where you look. Feb 22, 2024

Show notes

The transit industry is better equipped to work through a public health crisis than it was before COVID-19. And even as it faces persistent challenges, public transportation continues to play a central role in everyday mobility.

Crash Data and an Aging Population Raise an Issue: How old is too old to drive? Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

Drivers over age 80 are more prone to serious and deadly crashes. As this population segment grows, researchers are working toward fresh countermeasures.

Behind the Wheel, What We Think and What We Do Can Define Who We Are. Jan 23, 2024

Show notes

Attitudes and behaviors related to driving reveal our traffic safety culture. Like other forms of culture, it has a way of changing over time— and not always for the better.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How it’s easy to overlook our reliance on GPS. Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

With near-magical precision, GPS applications reliably guide multiple functions for us every moment of every day. But as they hold great promise, those applications also face vulnerabilities.

How to Ensure That US Infrastructure Remains Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts. Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

America’s infrastructure was built to last, but it wasn’t built to last forever. The Center for Infrastructure Renewal is focusing on how to ensure the resilience of the collective physical systems that America runs upon.

Can Imperiled Creatures Survive and Thrive amid Widespread Roadway Construction? Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

The well-being of creatures protected under the Endangered Species Act is a high priority for transportation agencies. That’s good for the critters, and for agency operations as well.

Can Solar Panels in Highway ROW Be the Next Big Step in Renewable Energy? Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

In using roadsides for the collection of solar power, can we succeed in achieving both environmental and economic goals? It all depends on how you define “success.”

We Rank the 2,138 Most Congested Roads in Texas. Is your daily drive on the list? Oct 24, 2023

Show notes

Traffic congestion is relative, because what constitutes gridlock depends a lot on where you live. Clearly, though, it’s no longer just a big city problem.

Revisited--Big and Bright: The view from TxDOT CEO Marc Williams’ Chair. Oct 10, 2023

Show notes

As we gather for the 97th Annual Transportation Short Course, we're revisiting our interview with Texas Department of Transportation CEO Marc Williams from approximately one year ago. Despite some Texas-sized mobility challenges and worldwide supply-chain obstacles, the guy in charge of the Texas Department of Transportation wants you to know he’s never been more optimistic about our transportation future.

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