The Mineta National Transportation Research Consortium (MNTRC) was awarded $7 million in federal funding through the University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program for transportation research, education, workforce development, and technology transfer activities. Matching funds from regional and state partners, including Caltrans, bring the grant five-year total to $10.5 million.
In addition to SJSU, the Consortium brings together a diverse set of university partners including Howard University, Navajo Technical University, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who will focus on improving the mobility of people and goods to ensure that our nation’s transportation system is fast, safe, efficient, accessible, and convenient for all.
MNTRC plans to lead the nation in researching safe, reliable solutions that increase mobility of people and goods and strengthen the nation’s economy. To achieve this goal, MNTRC will:
- Leverage new technologies and innovative processes to achieve a seamless, multimodal surface transportation system that integrates with other “smart city” investments;
- Create a safer, more reliable, and more resilient surface transportation system that improves equity through increased access to jobs, housing, services, and other opportunities;
- Reduce the impact of transportation on climate change by identifying feasible alternative modes and fuels and innovative ways to reduce vehicle miles traveled;
- Increase access to surface transportation so that people of all abilities and socioeconomic levels enjoy the same opportunities for learning, living, labor, and leisure; and
- Optimize passenger and freight movements to improve mobility of people and goods through development of more accurate data models and advanced application of analytical tools.
“It would be difficult to overstate the contribution that the Mineta Transportation Institute has made to advancing our understanding of the far-reaching potential of mobility to effect change in people’s lives,” said Norman Y. Mineta, U.S. Secretary of Transportation (ret.) “Without a doubt, the Mineta Transportation Institute has been a source of personal pride for me.”
MTI Executive Director, Dr. Karen Philbrick, said that the grant upholds the tremendous contributions MTI and the Consortium partners have made to the nation’s transportation system over the past 25 years. “We are honored to be recognized for our work that addresses the complex nature of today’s mobility challenges, and advances the body of usable transportation knowledge.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation received 212 applications as part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act competition. Secretary Anthony Foxx, in his announcement of the winners, said, “Our nation faces unprecedented challenges from population growth, a changing climate, and increasing freight volumes. Universities are at the forefront of identifying solutions, researching critical emerging issues, and ensuring improved access to opportunity for all Americans.”
