The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) will mark the beginning of construction of its new State Headquarters and Research Building with a Construction Celebration Ceremony, to be held Wednesday, April 30, at 3:30 p.m.

The ceremony will be held on the west side of the Gibb Gilchrest Building, located in the Texas A&M University Research Park at 2929 Research Parkway. A reception will follow the ceremony inside the Gilchrist Building.

“The Texas Transportation Institute was created by the Texas Legislature in 1950, and since then, has become known worldwide, enjoying a stellar reputation for its work in safety, congestion studies, pavement improvements and virtually every other transportation-related topic,” says TTI Agency Director Dennis Christiansen. “This new State Headquarters and Research Building is an exciting and much needed addition for the Institute as we address transportation challenges for the next 50 years.”

The 66,000-square-foot, three-story building will house a traffic control and materials research facility, TTI’s headquarters and additional administrative offices and research and support space. The $18.8 million project is scheduled for completion in August 2009.

Among the speakers for the construction celebration are

Michael D. McKinney—Chancellor-The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS);
Amadeo Saenz, Jr.—Executive Director- Texas Department of Transportation;
G. Kemble Bennett—Vice Chancellor and Dean of Engineering (TAMUS) and
Bill Jones—Chairman of the Board of Regents (TAMUS).