USDOT selects three regional UTCs
Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
USDOT
The U.S. Department of Transportation selected three institutions to receive grants under the University Transportation Centers (UTC) program.
USDOT received 13 applications for the competition in Regions 1, 2 and 3. The grant solicitation for regional grants in those regions were rebid due to what USDOT called a “lack of meritorious” applications during the 2016 solicitation.
The three universities will each receive $2.57 million. The funding was made possible under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act for fiscal years 2016-2020. The three have a stated research priority of “improving the durability and extending the life of transportation infrastructure.”
The University of Maine will lead the Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center in Region 1. Consortium members include the University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts at Lowell, University of Rhode Island, University of Vermont and Western New England University.
In Region 2, Rutgers University will serve as the lead for the Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation. It’s consortium members include Atlantic Cape Community College, Columbia University, Cornell University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, Princeton University, Rowan University, SUNY-Farmingdale State College and SUNY-University of Buffalo.
Penn State will lead Region 3’s Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation. Consortium members include George Mason University, Lehigh University, Morgan State University, University of Delaware, Virginia Tech and West Virginia University.
Currently, there are five National UTCs, 10 Regional UTCs and 20 Tier 1 UTCs. USDOT explains that UTCs advance U.S. technology and expertise in the many modes and disciplines comprising transportation and address vital workforce needs for the next generation of transportation leaders.
