Center for International Intelligent Transportation Research

border

Understanding Transportation as a Disease Vector at the U.S.-Mexico Border

by Okan Gurbuz

In the past year, the world has undergone an immense transformation in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. Complete lockdowns and curfews have been enacted and then lifted to balance mitigating the spread of the disease with keeping economies working. Although a lot is still unknown about COVID-19, one thing is certain: transportation is one way the disease is spread from place to place.

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New Report: Cross-Border Transportation as a Disease Vector in COVID-19

Understanding the relationship between cross-border transportation and the spread of infectious diseases is vitally important to mitigating the spread of future waves of COVID-19 or other pandemics. This study clearly shows the significant effect border crossings have regarding the spread of infectious diseases in their surrounding communities.

Collection of Private and Commercial Data at the Border

Photo of TTI Associate Research Engineer Alfredo Sanchez.

TTI Associate Research Engineer Alfredo Sanchez.

Associate Research Engineer Alfredo Sanchez with TTI’s Center for International Intelligent Transportation Research talks about the value of collecting private and commercial data at the border to better estimate border wait times. Knowing how long it takes people and goods to cross the border can impact tourism and how much consumers pay in stores. | View the Video

A New, Web-Based Platform to Alleviate Cross-Border Traffic Congestion

by Swapnil Samant

If you’ve ever visited the Texas-Mexico border during peak crossing times, you know a lot of time is spent waiting to cross. And, as the old saying goes, time is money. That’s particularly true for shippers moving goods and manufacturing materials from point A in Mexico to point B in the United States. [Read more…] about A New, Web-Based Platform to Alleviate Cross-Border Traffic Congestion

Researchers Test Technologies to Remotely Determine Lane Status at Border Land Ports of Entry

Currently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) publishes the number of lanes open at the land ports of entry (LPOEs) on their website. This information is updated once every hour in most cases. However, it has been observed that in some cases this information is not updated for several hours, and in other cases, the information has proven unreliable.

Freight Travel Time and Travel-Time Reliability at the Border

In a reliable transportation system, motorists know with a high degree of certainty when they will arrive to their destination. Numerous factors directly affect reliability such as signal timing, work zones, incidents, unusually high demand, special events, weather, and the performance of complementary and competing modes). The purpose of a travel-time reliability monitoring system (TTRMS) is to collect travel-time data from various sources and to monitor travel-time reliability. Such a system allows transportation agencies to quantify travel-time reliability of their transportation networks and evaluate the impact of transportation network improvements on reliability. Moreover, freight carriers can make more informed decisions to minimize their travel times and possibly reducing transportation costs.

Taking Border Performance to the Next Level

by Sushant Sharma

In the transportation research business, we use the term “performance measurement” when we measure how a certain aspect of our transportation system is operating. For example, through crash reporting we can tell you with certainty how safe a road is operating, or, through commute times, how well traffic is flowing. Safety and mobility of a roadway are fairly easy to determine. [Read more…] about Taking Border Performance to the Next Level

Making Pedestrians, Bicyclists a Priority at the Border

by Alfredo Sanchez

Like motorists, pedestrians crossing the border at all four El Paso international bridges are experiencing longer crossing times. For example, 550,000 people crossed the border by foot just in the first quarter of 2014.
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How, When, and Where: Three Important Questions for Maintaining Healthy U.S.-Mexico Trade

by Geza Pesti

How goods are getting to and from Mexican manufacturers to American markets—and vice versa—is important to know. Are they traveling by truck or rail? Are they experiencing shipping delays (often passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices)? Are they rising or falling in frequency, value, and volume?
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Reducing the Domino Effect at LPOEs

by David Salgado Manzano

Travelers at the U.S.-Mexico border are experiencing longer and longer wait times. While NAFTA has proven economically advantageous for both countries—partly by encouraging tourism and trade in border towns—one negative consequence of increased economic activity has been longer lines at land ports of entry (LPOEs). The demand to cross from one country to the other usually exceeds a port’s capacity to efficiently process that traffic. This is particularly true in highly populated, bi-national regions such as El Paso-Ciudad Juarez. [Read more…] about Reducing the Domino Effect at LPOEs