UF named Regional University Transportation Center, awarded funds

February 6, 2012

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida will receive $3.5 million in federal funds for transportation research as a newly chosen Regional University Transportation Center.

The university and its partners also will receive another $3.5 million in matching non-federal funds. Most of these will be from the state departments of transportation represented in the consortium. However, matching funds may also be obtained by transit agencies, local agencies and private firms.

The new consortium, named Southeast Transportation Research, Innovation and Education Center, or STRIDE, will advance transportation research and education in the southeastern U.S. and nationally. The team from UF joined other universities in the region to create a consortium. They are: Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, University of North Carolina, North Carolina State, Florida International University, University of Alabama Birmingham and Auburn University.

The research done by the consortium can help alleviate congestion, increase safety, and optimize the use of the transportation system. Working closely with public agencies will assure that research results can be implemented quickly. For example, improved algorithms for signal control can help reduce the travel time along an arterial street.

STRIDE’s theme focuses on three key areas: safety, livable communities and economic competitiveness. These areas were chosen because of their importance to the southeastern U.S. and the nation, according to the consortium principal investigator, Lily Elefteriadou, director of UF’s Transportation Research Center, part of the College of Engineering’s department of civil and coastal engineering.

The consortium will develop a strong interdisciplinary network of researchers and educators who will collaborate across the region, work closely with state departments of transportation, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Further, it will “enhance collaboration between universities working on transportation research problems” and produce “an increase of the number of grads going into transportation, which is a major goal for the U.S. DOT,” Elefteriadou said.

For the future of transportation, it means there will be increased collaboration at the university level, state departments of transportation and other public agencies, she said.

“There will be an increased awareness of the research going on at the universities regarding transportation and the increasing abilities of research results to improve the transportation network in the region,” she said.

The $3.5 million is from the U.S. Department of Transportation and its Research and Innovative Technology Administration, known as RITA.