The new UTCs would be created to advance research and education programs that address critical transportation challenges in the U.S.
The University of South Florida (USF) and Washington State University (WSU) were the two academic institutions selected to serve as the home for the new transportation centers. The center at USF will focus on congestion relief while the WSU campus will direct its efforts towards "improving the durability and extending the life of transportation infrastructure."
“These two new University Transportation Centers will help develop answers to two key problems facing drivers in America—congestion and deteriorating infrastructure. Traffic jams and potholes cause daily problems for motorists, wasting their time and causing damage to vehicles,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology Diana Furchtgott-Roth, in a news release from U.S. DOT. “These universities are taking practical approaches to these problems that will result in solutions that America needs now.”
Each UTC facility will receive $7.5 million in grant funding, which is made possible by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018.
