WTI News
Will Passenger Rail Return to Southern Montana? Join the Conversation on Sept. 17!
Passenger rail service through southern Montana ended 41 years ago, and now advocates across the state are working to bring it back. Interested in learning more?
New Publication: Safe Interactions Between Vehicles and Bicyclists
The Journal of Safety Research has published an article that examines the influence of traffic safety culture on a driver’s behavior when interacting with bicyclists on
Save the Date: Rural Road Safety Awareness Week
The National Center for Rural Road Safety is proud to announce the inaugural Rural Road Safety Awareness Week (RRSAW), which will take place the week of
NEW PROJECT: WTI to Conduct Transit Study for Humboldt County, CA
WTI recently launched a new project to conduct a transit study in Humboldt County, a coastal county in northern California. The goal is to provide the
WTI Co-hosts National Event on Rural Transportation Safety
On Wednesday, August 12, the Western Transportation Institute (WTI), Montana State University (MSU), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) co-hosted a national forum to
STUDENT NEWS: MSU ITE Student Chapter Honored at Annual Meeting
The Montana State University (MSU) Student Chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) has worked hard in recent years to grow its membership and its
Rural Road Safety Summit – Registration Now Open!
The National Center for Rural Road Safety is excited to announce that the Third National Summit on Rural Road Safety will take place September 29 –
Student News: Meet our summer intern
2020 will always be remembered as the year we all worked remotely – even our summer interns! WTI is pleased to welcome Jonathan Fisher, who is
Technology Transfer News: New Mexico DOT Funds Culvert Assessments from WTI Study
WTI research is being put into practice! The New Mexico Department of Transportation has approved a $500,000 project to develop and implement a culvert assessment management
In the News: Washington Post Interviews WTI Road Ecologist on Reductions in Wildlife Vehicle Collisions
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the Washington Post is reporting on a wide range of impacts, including the effects on wildlife. In a recent feature, “Pandemic
New Publication: Guidelines for Conserving Connectivity
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has released Guidelines for Conserving Connectivity through Ecological Networks and Corridors, an international resource with best practices
David Kack named WTI Director
Last week, Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering (NACOE) Dean, Brett Gunnink, named David Kack as Director of WTI. David has served as Interim Director since last
Catching Up with the Fellows
The placement year for the Class of 2019-2020 Public Land Transportation Fellows (PLTF) is drawing to a close. Over the last three weeks, Naomi Fireman, Nate
Look What’s Popping Up in Bozeman
On Saturday, May 2, WTI and the City of Bozeman teamed up to assemble pop-up calming installations in a West Bozeman neighborhood on Yellowstone Avenue. Staff
Why did the bear cross the road? Because he had it all to himself
Discover Magazine Interviews WTI Researcher about Wildlife Behavior during Pandemic Humans are staying home more and traveling less during the current COVID-19 restrictions. What does that
FoRRRwD Webinars continue on May 12
The National Center for Rural Road Safety is co-sponsoring a series of webinars with FHWA and NLTAPA on the Every Day Counts round five (EDC-5) initiative,
New Project will Explore Technology Applications for Rural Areas
WTI researchers Natalie Villwock-Witte, Karalyn Clouser, Jaime Sullivan, and David Kack have embarked on an FHWA task order project to explore the relationship between socio-economics, infrastructure,
WEBINAR: Focus on Reducing Rural Roadway Departures (FoRRRwD)
The National Center for Rural Road Safety is co-sponsoring a webinar with FHWA and NLTAPA on the Every Day Counts round five (EDC-5) initiative, “Focus on
WEBINAR: Reducing Disparities between Rural and Urban Seatbelt Use
On April 22, 2020, at 1 pm (Mountain Time), CHSC will present “Together for Life Utah: Reducing Disparities Between Urban and Rural Seat Belt Use Rates.”
Big Turnout for Webinar on Traffic Safety Culture Messaging
On March 25, Center for Health and Safety Culture Director Nic Ward led a webinar for the National Center for Rural Road Safety on “Traffic Safety
Road Ecologist Helps Launch Wednesday Webinars
The Society for Ecological Restoration has started a “Wednesday Webinar” series to promote information sharing and professional development in response to conference cancellations. One of the
“Rural Matters” at Commute.com
On April 1, Education and Workforce Program Manager Susan Gallagher presented at CommuteCon2020, a virtual gathering of national experts exploring issues related to the “science of
Message from the Director: Our Research and Work Continues
Greetings from WTI! To staff, research partners, and friends of WTI who read our newsletter, I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. During this
LTAP Director Named to TRB Low Volume Roads Committee
Matt Ulberg, director of Montana’s Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), has been named to the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Standing Committee on Low-Volume Roads — AFB30.
Do You Know a Good Candidate for the Public Lands Transportation Fellows Program?
The application process for the 2020 Public Lands Transportation Fellows (PLTF) Class is now open!! The PLTF program provides fellowships to recent graduates (sometimes current graduate
CHSC Grad Student Competes in Finals of Thesis Competition
Congratulations to Jubaer Ahmed, who was one of seven finalists in the “Three Minute Thesis” Competition hosted by the Montana State University College of Engineering. On
Winter Maintenance in the News
Winter’s not over yet (especially here in Montana), so winter maintenance is still a hot topic in the national media. In February, Next City published an
Upcoming Webinar: Traffic Safety Culture Messaging
The National Center for Rural Road Safety will offer a free webinar on Wednesday, March 25 on “Traffic Safety Culture Messaging.” It will feature information on
Project News: California Site Selected for First FRP Wildlife Crossing in North America
WTI Researchers are collaborating on a research project to develop, implement and evaluate a wildlife crossing structure made of Fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs), a strong but lightweight
New Staff at LTAP
Welcome to Melissa Schaak, who recently joined the Montana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) as a Program Coordinator II. Melissa will manage the LTAP main office,
Road Ecology in the News
When Road Ecology issues are in the news, so are our researchers! The Revelator interviewed WTI Research Scientist Tony Clevenger for the article “Road to Nowhere:
WEBINAR: Unpaving Guide
The National Center for Rural Road Safety Center is hosting a FREE, 1.5-hour online webinar, which will feature information on converting distressed paved roads to engineered
WRTWC Releases “Playbook” for Launching University-Public Agency Partnerships
The West Region Transportation Workforce Center has released the University Partnership Playbook, a step-by-step guide for creating multi-project collaborations between public agencies and universities. The collaborations
MSU Undergrads Assisting with Safety Center Research
Welcome to Andy Merkel and Maddy Pernat, who are new undergraduate research assistants at WTI. By supporting projects conducted by the National Center for Rural Road
CHSC Announces March Webinar
The Center for Health and Safety Culture (CHSC) has announced a new webinar for March, entitled “The Center for Health and Safety Culture: Who We Are
PROJECT NEWS: Just a short train ride from D.C.
After the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., Laura Fay (left), Karalyn Clouser (right), and Natalie Villwock-Witte traveled on to Maryland to meet with the Maryland
TRB Committee Elects WTI Researcher as New Chair
Congratulations to WTI’s Natalie Villwock-Witte! She was selected as the new chair of a National Academy of Sciences Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee — ADA 40,
Postcards from TRB
Fourteen WTI researchers, affiliated faculty, fellows, and staff have returned from a busy and productive week at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting in Washington,
WEBINAR – Local Road Safety Plans
Did you attend the webinar by the National Center for Rural Road Safety (Rural Safety Center) in December about Local Road Safety Plans? Don’t miss Part
New Year, New Staff!
WTI is pleased to welcome Andrea Hamre, Ph.D. as a Research Associate in the Mobility and Public Transportation Program. With expertise in transportation demand management, sustainable
High Country News Interviews WTI Road Ecologist
The Idaho Transportation Department is currently considering wildlife crossing structures for a segment of U.S. 20 near Island Park. High Country News recently published an extensive
Winter Maintenance Research in the News
As winter gets underway, state Departments of Transportation are planning their snow and ice maintenance programs. In the process, they are considering findings and recommendations from
New Publications from Road Ecology
Interested in Road Ecology research? Check out these recent and upcoming publications. WOLVERINE TRAPPING: The Journal of Wildlife Management has published “The Sustainability of Wolverine Trapping
NEW STAFF: Matt Madsen joins WTI’s Mobility Research Program
Meet our newest Matt. The Western Transportation Institute welcomes Technical Research Associate, Matt Madsen, bringing our Matt total to four (he joins Matt Blank, Mat Bell,
WEBINAR: Traffic Safety Culture and Its Relationship to Vision Zero
The Center for Health and Safety Culture, in partnership with the Traffic Safety Culture Pooled Fund, will lead a free webinar on December 3 on “Traffic
Transportation Fellows Benefit from Networking and Learning Opportunities at TRB Forums
Recently, WTI co-hosted the Transportation Research Board (TRB) International Conference on Low Volume Roads, held in Kalispell, Montana earlier this fall. Attendees who stayed a few
Meet the Fellows!
The newest Fellow participating in the Public Lands Transportation Fellows program is Nathan Begay, who started working at the Valle de Oro Urban Wildlife Refuge in
12th TRB International Conference on Low Volume Roads comes to Kalispell, Montana
Kalispell, Montana proved to be an ideal venue for the 12th TRB International Conference on Low Volume Roads, held in late September. Sponsored by the Transportation
Wildlife Vehicle Collision Data Collection System: Second phase of development complete
The WTI Road Ecology program, in partnership with the MSU Gianforte School of Computing, has completed a second phase of research on a system to simplify