A safe and reliable transportation system is vital to the security and prosperity of any society. Our quality of life — our very survival — depends on a reliable network that facilitates our efforts to get ourselves and the things we need from point A to point B. This is especially true for the Rio GrandeValley, which serves as an economic gateway to the rest of North America.
Recognizing this fundamental connection, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, a global leader in mobility innovation, has strengthened its presence in south Texas by adding us to its prestigious Advisory Council. We join a cadre of other transportation and business professionals from across Texas who represent every sector of the transportation world.
For more than 70 years, TTI has addressed complex transportation challenges and opportunities with innovation, objectivity and unmatched technical expertise. The agency is committed to growing its vast research program in the RGV, and we will dedicate ourselves to assisting that growth in ways that meaningfully benefit the people who call south Texas home. Moreover, we’re confident that TTI’s expanded research investments here will pay dividends far beyond our region.
The possibilities are almost limitless, illustrated by some of TTI’s recent efforts:
With an array of new technology applications, researchers are measuring wait times at the U.S.-Mexico border, helping to reduce traffic congestion and reinforce our freight supply chains.
Planning tools are helping to ensure safer transport of hazardous materials by train and to prepare for train derailment emergencies near especially vulnerable locations like schools.
By analyzing years of roadway crash data, researchers are developing new countermeasures for crash prevention, especially with regard to wrong-way driving crashes — those that are statistically rare but almost always deadly.
A safe and reliable transportation system is central to reaching the daily destinations where we live, work, learn, play and worship. And working with our partners at TTI, we intend to continually elevate transportation issues and promote the most innovative solutions possible. As State Rep. Terry Canales, chairman of the Texas House Transportation Committee, said, this is a significant moment for south Texas: “The RGV is an economic engine for the state, and TTI is at the forefront of helping us harness the full economic potential of our region.”
We are honored by this appointment to TTI’s Advisory Council. In the interest of travelers everywhere; we pledge to make the most of it.
Sergio Contreras
CEO
Atlas, Hall and Rodriguez LLP
Pete Sepulveda Jr.
Executive director
Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority
Energy wasted
on foolishness
There’s a lot of wisdom in some sayings. There’s a Spanish saying “A palabras necias un sordo,” meaning, to foolish words, deaf ears. To not waste energy on ill-meaning foolishness, and to power on in truth, is a pathway to a good hate-less life for everyone.
Imelda Coronado
Mission
LETTERS — Limit letters to 300 words; all letters are subject to editing. Mail: P.O. Box 3267, McAllen, TX78502-3267; Email: [email protected]
