UNM to Participate in Research Consortium to Address Regional Transportation Needs

January 9, 2017

susan bogus halterUNM is part of a consortium of universities that has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to establish a regional transportation research center. The Transportation Consortium of South-Central States, or Tran-SET, will focus on improving transportation infrastructure through the use of innovative materials and technology. It aims to support all phases of research, technology transfer, workforce development and outreach activities of emerging technologies that can solve transportation challenges in the region.

Dr. Susan Bogus Halter, AGC Endowed Chair and Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, will lead the UNM research activities and serve as Associate Center Director. Tran-SET is one of 32 recipients to be awarded a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Center, or UTC, program. Tran-SET will receive $2,470,600 for the current fiscal year. 

The Tran-SET’s research team would like to acknowledge the unprecedented support that was received from the region’s construction and transportation industry, state DOTs as well as state and private organizations. Limited funding and the downsizing of transportation agencies due to challenging economic conditions has created a backlog of transportation projects. Trans-SET will apply cutting edge materials, innovations and construction methodologies to various components of the transportation infrastructure including roads, ports, rails and bridges. The center will address economic limitations by only considering research topics that carry out a viable plan to move the technology from research to implementation. In partnership with major state authorities in the region and the private sector, the center will become a transportation focal point in the region. It also will become actively involved with other regional and national UTCs to adopt and implement the most beneficial research findings.

The consortium is led by Louisiana State University and includes Arkansas State University, Baton Rouge Community College, Navajo Technical University, New Mexico State University, Oklahoma State University, Prairie View A&M University, Texas A&M University, University of New Mexico, University of Texas at Arlington and University of Texas at San Antonio.