AASHTO Journal, 27 June 2014
John Barton, chief engineer at the Texas Department of Transportation, has been tapped to serve as chair of the AASHTO Highways Subcommittee on Traffic Engineering. Barton’s appointment, made by AASHTO President and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Mike Hancock, is a two-year term that will run through the 2016 AASHTO Annual Meeting.
In his role at TxDOT, Barton oversees the management of the state’s transportation system to ensure that it is “safe, adequate, and constructed and maintained for the traveling public in the most cost-effective manner,” and he is responsible for oversight of all TxDOT operations within the department. Barton holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University.
The Subcommittee on Traffic Engineering is responsible for assessing the effectiveness of traffic control practices and devices in terms of public safety, convenience, and cost; identifying and reporting to the Standing Committee on Highways on any federal regulatory mandates of concern; investigating and reporting on advancements in methods and equipment that reduce cost, lower energy consumption, improve motorist guidance, and lessen accidents; and developing recommended improvements in standards and guidelines contained in the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).