Department of Transportation (DOT) officials said the agency has allocated $4.925 million in grants to fund four Tier 1 University Transportation Centers (UTCs) to address transportation challenges.
Officials said venues at Ohio State University, Northwestern University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Georgia Institute of Technology would receive the funding allotment.
“These investments in four new transportation research centers will help advance innovation and create new solutions to increase accessibility,” Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said.
Each UTC is slated to conduct its research over the next 18 to 24 months. UTCs advance technology and expertise in varied modes and disciplines, composing transportation and addressing workforce needs for the next generation of transportation leaders.
“Researchers at these four new UTCs and their consortium members will address important 21st Century transportation topics,” Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology Diana Furchtgott-Roth said.
The DOT received 67 grant applications for the four Tier 1 UTCs as a means of conducting topical research. The number of applicants reflected the program’s popularity.
Highly Automated Transportation Systems Research, Communications Technology, and E-Commerce Effects on Travel Demand, Implications of Accessible Automated Vehicles and Mobility Services for People with Disabilities and Strategic Implications of Changing Public Transportation Travel Trends are the areas of concentrated the selected UTCs will address.