CVEN 207
Overview of Transportation Engineering
Overview
Transportation Transportation System Transportation Engineering
Description Course work Jobs Problems / solutions
What is Transportation?
Safe, efficient, reliable, and sustainable movement of persons and goods over time and space
Objectives constant Methods change (shipping / railroads /
rural roads / freeways / airports)
Characterized by
Thing being transported Type of vehicle Right-of-way
What is a Civil Engineering System?
Select arrangement of elements Resist load on system Efficient performance Economical "life" of system
Structural System Example
Structural elements
Beams Columns Foundation
Load
Live / dead Wind
Serve 20-50-100 years without failure
Transportation System Example
Components
Infrastructure (~ structural elements) Vehicles (~ load) Operators/users (somewhat unique to
transportation)
Transportation System Elements
Infrastructure
Road, canal, rail, air Transfer points Supporting elements (signs, signals, safety)
Vehicles
Planes, trains, autos, buses, ships, trucks
Operators/Content
Drivers, pilots, freight, passengers
Transportation System Failure
Normal design
Failure = catastrophe
Transportation
Fail soft" vs "fail hard" Fail soft
Demand exceeds capacity Many transportation systems designed to "fail" twice a day
Fail hard
Complete breakdown
Transportation Systems
Passenger transportation Freight transportation
Transportation Impacts
The speed, cost, and capabilities of available transportation have a significant economic impact on an area
Highway, rail, freight, transit, shipping
Countries with better/advanced transportation networks and services are leaders in industry and commerce
USA, Japan, Germany, ...
Transportation Mobility
Texas Transportation Institute 2009 Urban Mobility Report says congestion cost Americans $87 billion a year Findings:
4.2 billion lost hours due to congestion 2.8 billion gallons of fuel lost to engines
idling in traffic jams
What is Transportation Engineering?
Application of technology and scientific principles to the planning, functional design, operation, and management of facilities for any mode of transportation in order to provide for the safe, rapid, comfortable, convenient, economical, and environmentally compatible movement of people and goods Multiple engineering professions are involved
Aeronautical (aircraft) Chemical (fuel) Mechanical (vehicles) Electrical (communications, control system) Civil (development of facilities and manage demand)
Transportation Engineering
One of the specialty areas of civil engineering
Development of facilities for the movement
of goods and people Planning, design, operation and maintenance
An interesting / exciting area
Transportation Engineering
Multi-disciplinary
Economic Environmental Planning Statistics Law Psychology & human factors Public administration
People oriented Problems ==> solutions
Who Employs Transportation Engineers?
Typical
~40% government ~50% consultants ~5% research, teaching ~5% other - rail, trucking firms, etc.
Future: Hot Track (Runner Up)
Recent passage of $200 billion transportation bill insures there will be plenty of highways to design and bridges to repair. Traffic engineers will also work with new technology such as monitors that tell a driver when another car is in his blind spot and sensors in the pavement that track road conditions.
U.S. News and World Report, October 26, 1998
Careers to Count On
For millions of Americans, girding for gridlock is a teeth-grinding daily ritual. And with more cars on the road every day, engineers and other professionals trained to reduce traffic congestion are finding plenty of job opportunities PAY AND PERKS: $45,000 to $150,000. Producing tangible change is a source of job satisfaction for many.
U.S. News and World Report, February 18, 2002
Typical Week for a Young Transportation Engineer
Traffic analysis or design (50-80%)
Traffic simulation, preparation of plans, design
work
Field work (20-50%)
Visiting sites for assessment/evaluation
Communications (20-60%)
Preparing reports/memos/presentations Meetings with co-workers/clients Email or phone
Administrative (10-20%)
Training, vacation, organizing
TAMU Transportation Engineering Program
Undergraduate program is one of the most extensive in country
Large faculty specializing in transportation Strong research program (with TTI) Many student work opportunities Large and active student organization (ITE) Large number of transportation specific
undergraduate courses
CVEN Transportation Faculty
Faculty
Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr.
M. Burris, CE/TTI 301B G. Hawkins, CE/TTI 301C D. Lord, CE/TTI 301A L. Quadrifoglio, CE/TTI 301I B. Wang, CE/TTI 301F Y. Zhang, CE/TTI 301G
Transportation Research at A&M
Conducted through the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI)
Largest university-based transportation
research institute in the world All components of transportation system ~100 undergraduate workers hired per semester
Texas A&M Institute of Transportation Engineers Student Chapter
Mission
Promote the transportation engineering
profession and encourage students to find out more about this field and its opportunities and challenges
Activities
Monthly meetings with speakers
Free dinner
Field trips Professional meetings Social events
Student Chapter Activities
Field Trips/ Tours Cook outs
Chapter m eetings Tex I TE m eetings
TAMU Academic Program
4 undergraduate CVEN courses
307: Transportation Engineering (fall and spring) 454: Urban Planning for Engineers (fall) 456: Highway Design (spring) 457: Urban Traffic Facilities (fall)
Related undergraduate courses
418: Highway Materials and Pavement Design (spring)
8 graduate CVEN courses
Traffic Engineering: Characteristics, Traffic Engineering:
Operations, Traffic Engineering: Design, Roadside Safety Design, Transportation System Engineering Management, Street and Highway Design, Engineering and Urban Transportation Systems, Advanced Surface Transportation Systems
CVEN 307 Transportation Engineering
Basic principles and methods
Planning, design, and
operations
Vehicle/driver analysis Multi-modal perspective Drs. Burris, Hawkins, Quadrifoglio, Wang, and Zhang 2 sections/semester
CVEN 307: Transportation Engineering
Technical Elective Plan General Coastal & Ocean Construction Management Environmental Geotechnical Structural Transportation Water Resources 307 Located In: Breadth Breadth Breadth Breadth Focus Breadth Breadth Breadth Required? Yes Optional Yes Optional Optional Optional Yes Yes
CVEN 454 Urban Planning for Engineers
Urban planning (regulations, land use ...) Land development Design (interaction between elements) Dr. M. Burris
Road Planning Relationships
Functional Class Freeway
Movement
Increasing Movement
Major Arterial Minor Arterial Major Collector Minor Collector
Access
Increasing Access
Local Cul-de-Sac
Roadway and Site Design
Trip Generation
Travel Demand Analysis
CVEN 456 Highway Design
Design criteria Location studies Alignment
Horizontal / vertical
Cross section analysis Dr. D. Lord
Roadway Functional Design
Minor Arterial
Collector
Major Arterial
Local Street
Freeway
Geometric Elements
Sight distance Passing zones Roadside clearance
Intersections Horizontal curves Vertical curves
CVEN 457 Urban Traffic Facilities
Design & operation of traffic control devices Driver-vehicleroadway characteristics & interactions Dr. G. Hawkins
Traffic Models & Fry LOS
Single regime models superimposed on freeway data Source: May 1990
Level of service criteria for basic freeway segment Source: Highway Capacity Manual 2000
Traffic Signal Operations
Traffic Signing
A&M Information Sources
Department Website
www.civil.tamu.edu/Ugrad/Transportation
Institute of Transportation Engineers: TAMU Student Chapter
ite.tamu.edu
Texas Transportation Institute
tti.tamu.edu
Transportation Organizations
Institute of Transportation Engineers
www.ite.org
Federal Highway Administration
www.fhwa.dot.gov
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
www.aashto.org
Texas Department of Transportation
www.dot.state.tx.us
Transportation Research Board
www.trb.org
What are Current Transportation Problems?
Financing Congestion Aging infrastructure Safety Aging population Increased truck weights
Potential Solutions
Infrastructure expansion/renewal
$200 billion transportation bill Politics Limited resources ($, land,...)
New techniques
More intelligent use of available resources Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
