The Center of the Southwest

Pecos Research and Testing Center opens for business

By Chris Sasser
 

The West Texas town of Pecos is normally associated with cattle trails, rodeos and cantaloupes. But this dusty desert town is also home to a 5,800-acre former tire testing facility that is ripe for development into a world-class transportation research and testing center.

The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), Applied Research Associates and the Pecos Economic Development Corp. recognized the potential of the sprawling facility and are collaborating to develop the complex known as the Pecos Research and Testing Center (RTC). The unique public–private collaboration began in August 2005.

“Pecos RTC offers many potential opportunities and amenities that TTI does not currently have,” says Lance Bullard, associate research engineer with TTI. “The location and vastness of the facility gives researchers new opportunities to perform research in areas that are both environmentally severe and environmentally sensitive. The remoteness of the location offers privacy for testing that sponsors often find attractive for developmental work. Also, homeland security research is growing exponentially and often requires the availability of large testing facilities. Pecos RTC can satisfy all these needs.”

Diverse research and testing potential

Over the years, many auto manufacturers, tire companies and component manufacturers have tested vehicles and equipment at the complex. The center has the potential to perform diverse types of research in transportation, including the following:

 
TTI has also been working with the Petroleum Engineering Department at Texas A&M University to perform a research project that will investigate transportation methods and equipment for moving in and setting up oil drilling platforms in environmentally sensitive areas — without disturbing the surroundings or leaving a footprint.

TTI Research Scientist Sue Chrysler has been awarded a project called “Assessing Driver Distraction due to In-Vehicle Video Systems.” This project will compare driving performance with and without the presence of a video screen — ideal research for the facility’s closed road course.

About the facility

The 5,800-acre center features nine distinct test tracks, a full range of support facilities and available acreage for projects requiring either open land or custom facilities.

During its 45-year history, this facility has served both as home to key research by automakers from around the world and as the primary testing facility for the B.F. Goodrich Company.

There are also many buildings on the site, including a 30-bay garage and administrative offices with storage areas. Considerable undeveloped land on the site can accommodate the development of additional custom facilities to support specialized research.

On the horizon

The research and testing possibilities at Pecos RTC are as vast as the West Texas sky.

“Our goals are to develop Pecos RTC into a nationally recognized research test facility with our new research alliance and colleagues at Applied Research Associates, develop new areas of research for TTI and form new research collaborations with private industry,” says Bullard.
 

For more information, please contact Lance Bullard at (979) 845-6153 or l-bullard@tamu.edu, or visit the Pecos RTC Web site at http://www.pecosrtc.org.