Thinking Transportation: Engaging Conversations about Transportation Innovations

Latest Episodes:

For Bernie Wagenblast, both career and life have been all about transition. May 09, 2023

Show notes

As a transportation journalist, Bernie Wagenblast has been weaving narratives of a professional sort for more than 40 years. As it turns out, one of her most recent stories is more personal.

Hidden Treasures: Remote community airports play an essential role in Texas life. Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

The value that small general aviation airports deliver far exceeds what their modest size might suggest. To many local government officials, those facilities represent “the most valuable mile of pavement in the county.”

Revisited--Highway to the Danger Zone: Hazards abound where road work advances. Apr 11, 2023

Show notes

As we’re about to observe National Work Zone Awareness Week and in light of a work zone crash last month in Maryland, in which 6 workers were killed, we're revisiting a discussion with TTI's Jerry Ullman, research engineer and highway work zone safety expert. The number of fatal crashes in America is up by about 7 percent over the past decade. But in roadway work zones, it’s up by more than 40 percent. Jerry discusses why those work zones are dangerous not only for those who work in them, but for those who navigate them as well.

Off the Rails, On the QT: Train derailments happen daily, though few grab our attention. Mar 30, 2023

Show notes

Major railroad disasters tend to produce major news headlines, but there are hundreds of derailments each year in America that we never hear about. Why is that?

Turning the Tables: When a transportation journalist is the one answering, not asking, the questions. Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

It’s been said that journalists are responsible for writing the first draft of history. As the transportation writer for the Houston Chronicle, Dug Begley has been crafting that city’s mobility story for more than a decade.

Engineering a Career Path: Sometimes, a 7th grade dream can actually come true. Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

Even after wrapping up a 46-year stretch at TTI, Tim Lomax still enjoys the adrenaline rush that comes from finding new traffic challenges, and fixing them.

One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Maintaining our roadway infrastructure demands a varied scientific approach. Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

America’s roads were built to last, but they weren’t built to last forever. New research is taking a forensic approach to maintaining and repairing our surface transportation infrastructure.

Bent, But Not Broken: How global supply chains demonstrate post-pandemic resilience. Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

Most of what we buy and use every day comes to us on cargo ships, which represent essential links in worldwide distribution systems. A global public health crisis reminded us of how important they really are.

At the Intersection of Engineering and Psychology: How a diverse team manages special event traffic. Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

Big-time athletic events can create big-time roadway gridlock. Experts game out the possibilities to navigate chaos – from the first car in, to the last one out.

Uncommonly Deadly: Wrong-way crashes are small in number, immense in devastation. Jan 03, 2023

Show notes

Wrong-way crashes on high-speed roadways are uncommon, but they’re almost always fatal. Ongoing research is supporting countermeasures to help drivers avoid – or escape -- a rare but perilous roadway hazard.