The agreement includes sharing expertise on research, transportation operations and management, and connected and automated vehicles. It also encourages educational and mentoring opportunities in which WSP would be involved in Texas A&M engineering class seminars and lectures as well as sponsoring engineering capstone design projects. The agreement also entails opportunities for TTI and Texas A&M engineering students to gain real-world experience on the day-to-day challenges facing leading transportation operations centers.
“TTI and WSP have a long history of collaborating, beginning with the early development of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes,” said Greg Winfree, TTI agency director. “The staffs of both of our organizations have collaborated on projects all over the country to deploy best practices in planning and design of HOV facilities. We see similar opportunities with next generation transportation technologies, such as connected and automated vehicles. By working together, we gain efficiencies in moving the most promising technologies from development into implementation.”
With technology increasing at such a rapid rate, transportation solutions need to incorporate technology advances to deliver cost-effective implementation today that will be compatible with the future direction of the transportation industry, according to John Porcari, president of U.S. advisory services at WSP.
“We have adapted the capability maturity model to TSMO concepts, and together with TTI are positioned to incorporate connected and automated vehicle components into the existing TSMO efforts for our clients,” he explained. “Collaboration between leading researchers and everyday practitioners will help to better define needs for national and state sponsored research while helping agencies reflect the current state-of-the-practice in their efforts.”
WSP is a leader in the design, deployment and operation of transportation systems in the U.S., including intelligent transportation systems and connected vehicle technology. The firm has been at the forefront of the development and testing of transportation infrastructure for driverless and connected vehicles, and is currently advising transportation agencies on the development of infrastructure to accommodate connected, automated and driverless vehicles.
TTI is a leader in transportation operations and technology research and operates one of the premier transportation proving grounds for testing research solutions. The Texas A&M proving grounds are a cornerstone of the nationally designated Texas Automated Vehicle Proving Grounds Partnership. The collaboration between WSP and TTI will expedite deploying proven research to transportation operating agencies and enhance the education and training of future transportation professionals.
About WSP USA
WSP USA, formerly WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, is the U.S. operating company of one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms—WSP. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and
construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment sectors. With nearly 7,000 people in 100 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper. www.wsp.com
About the Texas A&M Transportation Institute
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute develops solutions to the problems and challenges facing all modes of transportation. The Institute conducts over 700 research projects annually with over 200 sponsors at all levels of government and the private sector. In the laboratory and the classroom, TTI researchers help prepare students for transportation careers. Recognized as one of the premier higher education-affiliated transportation research agencies in the nation, TTI’s research and development program has resulted in significant breakthroughs across all facets of the transportation system. http://tti.tamu.edu