Photo: The AZTI team, including Sanghi College of Engineering Dean Charles Caldwell (far left) and Brendan Russo (second from left) at the official announcement on Nov. 22. Courtesy of ADOT.
A new research partnership between the Arizona Department of Transportation and the state’s three public universities will help tackle critical issues in Arizona’s transportation system, keep the state at the forefront of innovation, support Arizona’s economy and nurture a new generation of transportation professionals.
The Arizona Transportation Institute (AZTI) will leverage the expertise of Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. Students and faculty will conduct research on topics requested by ADOT such as the impacts of heavier and oversize vehicles on roads and bridges compared to other vehicles in terms of construction, maintenance and repair costs.
“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.
Brendan Russo, associate professor of civil engineering, is the lead investigator for NAU. The work of the AZTI complements the work in the Arizona Laboratory for Applied Transportation Research (AzTrans) in traffic safety and operations, transportation planning, infrastructure and bridges. As the state’s population increases, this work becomes even more important, he said.
“Improving the safety, efficiency and sustainability of our transportation systems will help improve the quality of life for Arizona residents and help support economic growth in the state,” Russo said. “The establishment of AZTI is a milestone in transportation research in the state of Arizona and will be valuable in pursuing additional large-scale multi-institutional grants moving forward.”
In the first round of projects, which has already started, NAU is leading a project that involves the development of Arizona-specific crash modification factors that will aid in ADOT’s decisions related to safety countermeasures aimed at reducing the frequency and severity of crashes.
The three universities are working on projects that examine the impacts of heavy and oversize vehicles on the state’s roads and bridges and expanding the capability of Arizona’s statewide travel demand model using dynamic traffic assignment.
NAU students are an important piece of this work. Both graduate and undergraduate students will be funded through AZTI projects, Russo said; every project is required to have at least one undergraduate research assistant as part of its team. They’ll gain valuable real-world research experience and skills that will help prepare them for careers in the transportation industry.
