Testing Verbal Warning Systems at Crosswalks

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute, in cooperation with the Brazos Transit District and Texas A&M Transit Services, is testing a visual and annunciation system to warn bicyclists and pedestrians that a transit vehicle is approaching an intersection and intends to turn at the crosswalk the person is approaching. If the transit vehicle is not turning, the warning does not go off. Future phases include a downloadable phone application that would automatically produce the warning if the user was on their cell phone.

Make Every Day a Gameday

When Texas A&M University is in session, the total number of faculty, staff and students makes College Station the fourth largest downtown in Texas. While the University has a nationally-recognized Game Day Traffic Operation for home football games, the same level of system integration and real-time information are needed Monday-Friday. Team members are working on a Campus Transformational Mobility Plan, deployment of a congestion management process and a County-wide Transportation Strategic Plan in partnership with local governments, the Chamber of Commerce, the local Economic Development Corporation and local universities to integrate planning and transportation technology innovation.

Regional Fiber Optic Network

To address the lack of broadband access in rural areas the Brazos Valley Council of Governments received multiple grants to construct a fiber optic network in its seven county, mostly rural region. The project consists of a northern ring and southern ring. The rings connect independent school districts, local government offices, and medical facilities to a central hub to provide reliable and low-cost access to broadband. The southern ring went “live” in September of 2019 and the northern ring in June of 2020. One goal of this network is to try and reduce the need for long-distance travel for medical trips by providing a reliable broadband connection for tele-medicine.