Donghun (Don) Kang
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Visiting Assistant Professor
Ph.D.,
Texas A&M University
| Contact Information |
Office:
236D
Zachry
Phone: (979)
845-0501
Fax: (979) 847-9005
Email:
Personal Web Page
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Dr. Kang is an Associate Transportation Researcher at the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). After finishing Ph.D. program from Industrial and Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University he became a full time employee at TTI for which he has been working as a graduate research assistant for years. Upon assignment to the Economics, Trade and Logistics Program, he was involved in various projects that require his analytic and modeling expertise. He is currently working on various projects in the application of industrial engineering methods to transportation asset management, border crossing delays, traffic safety and travel surveys for Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and others. He has participated in the following projects actively:
- Assessing Texas Toll Road Traffic and Revenue Studies . The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) has requested assistance from the TTI to assess the reasonableness of toll road and managed lane traffic and revenue (T&R) studies being prepared by the TxDOT and their consultants. TTI team developed a structured process of reviewing, analyzing, and mapping the T&R reports to produce final recommendations for CPA office.
- Asset Management-Texas Style . The goal of this ongoing project is to develop state-of-the-practice asset management methodologies for the TxDOT. These methodologies will be used to support current decision-making processes for allocating funds to the different asset categories managed by TxDOT. In pursuit of the goal the project team is exploring simulation, optimization, and decision analysis methodologies to the Right-Of-Way parcel acquisition process as a starting block to be used to the other category of assets.
- Estimation of Toll Road Users' Value of Time . The objectives of this research project were to estimate the value of time distribution of users of the North Texas Tollway Authority network and relate that to an estimate of income of the user group and to use the value of time-income relationship to develop reasonable assumptions about the extension of other corridors in Texas . This research focused on the exploitation of readily available data to make an initial estimate of prospective toll road revenue at the early stage of the toll road project. It used census tract data and electronic toll road data as input to GIS software to calculate the imputed income levels of the users.
- Technical and Economic Feasibility of a Freight Pipeline System in Texas . TxDOT has sought the way to mitigate the impact of the increasing volume of freight traffic to and from Mexico through Texas highways. In this regard, the project aimed at determining whether freight-conveying pipelines can offer an improved alternative to the existing surface modes. It addressed key technical issues and the economics of freight pipeline construction, operation, and maintenance.
- The Impact of Mexican Rail Privatization on the Texas Transportation System . The purpose of the research project was to provide TxDOT with information on current and future infrastructure and operational plans conducted by the U.S. and Mexican railroad private sectors and their impact on TxDOT's highway infrastructure needs. The project identified existing and emerging rail trade corridors between Texas and Mexico, evaluated the performance of the Mexican rail companies, and determined the impact on mode choice and infrastructure needs in Texas and Mexico from the Mexican rail privatization.
- During his graduate study he was also involved in a project dealing with the feasibility of a freight pipeline system in Texas I-35 corridor from Laredo, TX to Dallas, TX. He modeled a discrete event simulation and performed computer experiments to determine the capacity of the system.
