ADOT establishes research partnership with state universities

Arizona Transportation Institute will foster innovation, engagement

PHOENIX - A new research partnership between the Arizona Department of Transportation and the state's three public universities will help keep ADOT at the forefront of innovation, nurture a new generation of transportation professionals and support Arizona's economy.

ADOT has entered into an agreement with the newly formed Arizona Transportation Institute (AZTI) to leverage the expertise of University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University faculty and students to propose and conduct research. The ADOT Research Center administers state planning and research funding that the Federal Highway Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation provides to state departments of transportation and subrecipients.

"We're tremendously excited to partner with talented faculty and students in a way that can improve the lives of Arizonans, support our state's economy and promote transportation engineering as an exciting and essential career," ADOT Director Jennifer Toth said.

Through the Arizona Transportation Institute, based at the University of Arizona, faculty at the three universities will submit proposals to conduct transportation research, with the Arizona Transportation Institute encouraging collaboration among universities. This collaboration aims to foster innovative transportation technologies, planning methods and engineering approaches that can improve Arizona's transportation system and create better communities.

"Arizona will benefit tremendously from establishing this coordinated structure for the brightest minds at the three universities to optimize transportation, a huge quality-of-life issue for every resident," said Arizona Transportation Institute Director Yao-Jan Wu, a University of Arizona professor of civil and architectural engineering and mechanics. "I'm grateful for this investment and eager for the institute to assess, develop and implement the researchers' ideas."

University researchers have already begun work on a number of research projects requested by ADOT. For example:

• Researchers at the University of Arizona, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University will look into the impacts of heavier and oversize vehicles on roads and bridges compared to other vehicles in terms of construction, maintenance and repair costs.
• Northern Arizona University and University of Arizona researchers will develop Arizona-specific factors to aid ADOT's decisions on the location and types of safety countermeasures intended to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes.
• Arizona State University and University of Arizona researchers will explore whether landscaping and vegetation management that encourages recovery of native plants following wildfires can reduce repair and maintenance costs for roadways.

To learn more about research at ADOT, please visit azdot.gov/research.