History
John W. Hudson, Jr. founded Traffic Engineers, Inc. in Houston, Texas in 1969 and began its consulting services with initial contracts with the cities of Pasadena, Longview and Brownsville, Texas. The first traffic engineering services for these cities included the design of centralized computer traffic signal system for Pasadena, design of 25 signalized intersections for Longview and planning the traffic circulation plan for downtown Brownsville.
Traffic Engineers, Inc. expanded and began preparing comprehensive traffic engineering and transportation plans for cities and counties throughout Texas. This earliest clients included cites in the Rio Grande Valley from Laredo to Brownsville and the cities of McAllen, Mission, Hidalgo, San Benito, Weslaco, Harlingen and Edinburg. Concurrently, the expanded to work for cities in East Texas included Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Jacksonville, Palestine, Tyler and Marshall and along the Gulf Coast included Houston, Texas City, Galveston, Baytown, Port Arthur, Pasadena and League City. Over the years, the firm also assisted many other cities and counties in implementing new roadway, signal design and operations and safety projects.
The expansion of traffic engineering services into the private sector included site planning and access studies for numerous Wal*Mart, Sam’s, HEB, and Shell Oil sites as well as many commercial and industrial centers throughout Texas and northern Mexico.
Over time, Traffic Engineers, Inc. began to work internationally and participated in design, construction and operations projects for traffic signal systems in the Caribbean and South America including the cities of Kingston, Jamaica, Lima, Peru, La Paz, Bolivia, San Salvador, El Salvador, Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador and Guatemala City, Guatemala. These projects included planning studies of their street system, the design of traffic signal plans and assisting local contractors with the installation of operation of the traffic signal systems. During these projects unplanned events occurred such as a major earthquake in Guatemala City, multiple “coup d tats” in Bolivia and a revolution in El Salvador.
NAFTA brought a need for planning for international bridges along the US and Mexico border including Fabens, Laredo, Progresso, McAllen, Pharr, Eagle Pass and three international crossings in Cameron County. These studies included Origin and Destination surveys, bridge alignment alternatives, financial feasibility analyses and environmental assessments. Traffic Engineers, Inc. served as the general project manager of the new international bridge crossing in Brownville entitled the Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates. This project was selected for the Engineering Excellence Award from the Texas Council of Engineering Consultants and the Institute of Transportation Engineers awarded the project the Transportation Achievement Award.
Traffic Engineers, Inc.’s early work on computerized traffic signal systems for TxDOT, Laredo, Pasadena, Houston, Metro, Bellaire and others naturally led to an active practice in Intelligent Transportation Systems which continues today.
Domestic projects included work in 23 states for state and federal government agencies. Many of Traffic Engineers, Inc.’s transportation studies led to complex roadway design assignments with the city, county, and state governments. Technical planning studies for the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) included Brownsville, Harlingen, El Paso and the Houston Galveston Area Council of Governments.
Traffic Engineers, Inc. has had an active intern program with student participation from universities throughout the US. The firm’s alumni have gone on to successful careers in the public sector, engineering and related fields and the world of business.
Traffic Engineers, Inc. is Texas’ oldest traffic engineering specialty firm.
