Howard University’s Transportation Research Center (HUTRC) has been awarded a $3,750,000 grant by the D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT) to conduct traffic studies, safety improvements and crash data analysis to the District during a five-year program.
As director of HUTRC, Stephen Arhin, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering within the College of Engineering and Architecture, will supervise the project.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has reported that over $926 billion dollars will be needed in transit-related infrastructure initiatives around the United States.
“Under the leadership of Dr. Arhin, the grant award from the DDOT allows Howard University to play an integral role in informing the allocation of these resources with research-backed best practices in Washington, D.C. for metropolitan areas across the United States,” said Bruce Jones, Vice President of Research.
“In this respect, this grant fits squarely with Howard’s longstanding mission to provide state-of-the-art research that informs policy and practice with a chief goal to improve the quality of life of our citizenry.”
.@DDOTDC Awards $3.75M Grant To @HowardU Transportation Research Center. #THISisITS https://t.co/6Ba0daptlh
— ITS America (@ITS_America) January 24, 2019
Arhin said the multi-year award presented an opportunity for Howard University’s Transportation Safety Research Center to continue its work of supporting DDOT to improve safety in the city. The center is also planning to carry out traffic safety studies in the D.C. area in addition to streamlining various modes of local traffic.
The College of Engineering and Architecture will use the award money to enrich the student research experience, utilizing data taken during the HUTRC study.
“The outcome of studies and research conducted under the award will be incorporated into classes, seminars and workshops. The academic goal is to expose students to real-world engineering problems,” the Howard University news release said.
Achille Messac, Dean of CEA, said Arhin would help to educate the transportation engineers of the future.
“According to the US Department of Transportation, the US experienced approximately 37,000 fatalities in 2017, down from approximately 51,000 in 1980. Dr. Arhin’s research with his students and collaborators is literally designed to save lives!” he noted.
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