Transportation Safety & Planning Session Border Crossing Initiatives: The Center for International Intelligent Tran

1. Transportation Safety & Planning SessionBorder Crossing Initiatives: The Center for International Intelligent Transportation Research Rafael M. Aldrete, Ph.D., P.E. Director Center for International IntelligentTransportation Research McAllen, April 18th 2007

2. Agenda • Presentation Objectives • TTI’s CIITR • Border Crossing Initiatives • Questions

3. Presentation Objectives • Introduce the Texas Transportation Institute’s Center for International Intelligent Transportation Research (CIITR), along with its vision, and mission • Summarize and describe some the most relevant CIITR-funded border crossing initiatives

4. The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) • The largest university-affiliated transportation research agency in the United States • Created in 1950 in response to the needs of the Texas Highway Department, TTI has since broadened its focus to address all modes of transportation across all relevant disciplines • Currently TTI works with sponsors at all levels of government and the private sector - nationally and internationally

5. The TTI Center for International Intelligent Transportation Research • Established through the 79th Texas State Legislature in September 2005 • Funding of $1.9 million for FY ’06-’07 biennium secured by State Senator Eliot Shapleigh • Officially open on April 13, 2006 • Key research focus areas • Border Crossings • Air Quality • Traffic Management

6. CIITR - Vision “After September 11th, free trade depends on the safe, smart and fast movement of people and product around the world, but especially across borders. Our new center will be a world leader in critical new technologies on how to make that happen”. Senator Eliot Shapleigh • A viable, unique research center focusing on international border transportation policy and the application of Intelligent Transportation Systems and other advanced technologies to border transportation issues

7. CIITR - Mission • Conduct research and develop policy, operational and technological solutions to enhance the efficient, safe and secure movement of people and goods across the Texas/Mexico border and within the El Paso area • Identify critical cross-border transportation issues • Facilitate local implementation of research results and transfer them to other international border crossings in Texas and beyond • Collaborate with local agencies and UTEP to provide education and training for the region’s transportation professional workforce of the future

8. Current Border Crossing research initiatives funded or co-funded through the CIITR • Measuring Border Delay and Crossing Times at the U.S./Mexico Border (FHWA) • Reducing Multiple Stops at Commercial Border Crossings (TxDOT) • Emission Rates of Mexican Drayage Trucks (EPA) • El Paso Regional Transportation Data Warehouse

9. Background – Commercial Border Crossing Process 1. Mexican Export Lot 2. U. S. FederalCompound 3. State Safety Inspection Facility Warehouse/ Yard Warehouse / Yard Mexican export documentation verification and cargo inspection selection Visual vehicle safety inspection CBP primary inspection (document inspection) Secondary inspection VACIS, X-Ray, FMCSA Others Detailed state truck safety inspection Mexican export cargo Inspection MEXICO U. S.

10. Measuring Border Delay and Crossing Times at the U.S./Mexico Border (co-funded with FHWA) • Background: • The FHWA is undertaking a Freight Performance Measurement initiative aimed at measuring travel times in freight-significant corridors, including waiting times at major U.S. land border crossings • Objective: • Identify appropriate ITS or other commercial technologies that enable border travel and wait times to be more easily and precisely measured • Scope: • Technologies to support automated measurement of border delay and crossing time at U.S./Mexico commercial crossings • Technologies to measure passenger car crossing times and that can be expanded to measure travel characteristics throughout border metropolitan areas

11. Border Crossing and Wait Time Measurement – Proposed Data Collection Plan at Bridge of the Americas *Optional for internal agency use Data Collection PlanBridge of the Americas (BOTA)

12. Reducing Multiple Stops at Commercial Border Crossings (TxDOT) – Background (1) • Coordination Systems for Ports of Entry Study (CPOE) • Multiple inspection stops makes the northbound border crossing process less efficient and more time and resource consuming • Develop and implement an express lane process system similar to the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program for the Border Safety Inspection Stations (BSIF)

13. Reducing Multiple Stops at Commercial Border Crossings (TxDOT) – Background (2) 1. Mexican Export Lot 2. U. S. FederalCompound 3. State Safety Inspection Facility Warehouse/ Yard Warehouse / Yard Mexican export documentation verification and cargo inspection selection Visual vehicle safety inspection CBP primary inspection (document inspection) Secondary inspection VACIS, X-Ray, FMCSA Others Detailed state truck safety inspection Mexican export cargo Inspection MEXICO U. S.

14. Reducing Multiple Stops at Commercial Border Crossings (TxDOT) – Background (3) • DPS is already developing the system to be tested at the Bridge of the Americas Bridge (BOTA) • During Fiscal Year 06, TTI performed and analysis of the time truck require to cross through the BSIF at the BOTA (Before Analysis)

15. Reducing Multiple Stops at Commercial Border Crossings - Objective and Scope • Objective • Determine the effect of installing RFID equipment on reducing the amount of time required for commercial movements to be processed by DPS • Scope • Measure crossing time and travel characteristics AFTER the system is implemented

16. Emission Rates of Mexican Drayage Trucks (EPA) • Background • The emissions impact of Mexican trucks on air quality in vicinity of the border is an issue that stirs controversy in technical and political circles • Objective: • Establish emission rates for Mexican trucks used for drayage across U.S.-Mexico border. • Extends previous EPA/SWUTC-funded project that collected duty cycle and limited emissions data • Scope: • Develop GPS-based terminal-to-terminal duty cycles for testing • Perform emission measurement testing for each truck tested • Analyze emissions data and establish emissions rates

17. El Paso Regional Transportation Data Warehouse - Background • The U.S. national ITS architecture requires ITS to provide a: • “Data Warehouse Distribution function, which integrates the planning, safety, operations, and research communities into ITS and processes data products for these communities”. • A regional transportation data warehouse is a centralized system that archives transportation data generated from databases spread among public agencies in the region • At present in El Paso, several agencies generate data, but they either do not archive it and/or share it in limited amount

18. El Paso Regional Transportation Data Warehouse – Current Objectives Objectives: • Archive transportation data • Monitor congestion and performance of highway network • Provide real-time traffic information • Provide calibration and research tools • Demonstrate the value of vehicle sensors

19. El Paso Regional Transportation Data Warehouse - Archived Traffic Data • Congestion Monitoring • Travel time index, average travel time, total delay • Performance Monitoring • Volume capacity ratio, level of service • Calibration and Research Tools • Traffic parameters, before-after study, truck percent • Provide tools to monitor relationship trends between traffic flow parameters and air quality, weather, crash, economic indicators • Aggregated Data • Multi-granular temporal and spatial data

20. El Paso Regional Transportation Data Warehouse - Current Status Objectives: • Transmit vehicle sensor data in real-time • Provide real-time traffic information • Archive traffic information • Understand inter-agency connectivity

21. El Paso Regional Transportation Data Warehouse - Congestion and Performance Monitoring

22. El Paso Regional Transportation Data Warehouse –Real Time Traffic Information Objectives: • Provide real-time information using graphical interface • Advanced traveler information

23. El Paso Regional Transportation Data Warehouse – Future Applications to Border Crossings • As border transportation technology deployment and data quality increase, the El Paso Regional Transportation Data Warehouse could become a multi-state, bi-national resource • Model for cross-border transportation data sharing and for transportation planning and operations coordination • FHWA’s Freight Performance Measurement initiative • Long and short range planning • Transportation model calibration • Congestion management • Incident management • Advanced traveler information system • Transportation research

24. Advanced Traveler Information System Estimate Travel Time RTDW Border Queue Field Sensors/ DMS around POEs Display live video feeds and queues to public and freight companies

25. Operational Design around POEs Automated Data Aggregation RTDW Sensors around POEs

26. Advanced planning around POEs Automated Data Aggregation RTDW Sensors around POEs Model Calibration Congestion Management

27. Conclusion • TTI’s CIITR is supporting the efforts to address transportation issues affecting the U.S./Mexico border region through policy research and advanced technologies • Questions?

28. Contact information • Rafael M. Aldrete, Ph.D., P.E.Texas Transportation Institute4050 Rio Bravo, Suite 151 DEl Paso, Texas 79902E-mail: r-aldrete@tamu.edu • Juan Carlos VillaTexas Transportation Institute3135 TAMUCollege Station, TX 77843-3135E-mail: j-villa@tamu.edu • Bill Stockton, P.E.Texas Transportation Institute3135 TAMUCollege Station, TX 77843-3135 E-mail: bill.stockton@tamu.edu