Advancing Transportation Research
The Long Beach State University College of Engineering has been selected as part of a $2 million statewide consortium to conduct transportation research and workforce development under Senate Bill 1 (SB 1).
The California State University Transportation Consortium (CSUTC) will be led by the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San José State University. Other participants include CSU Chico and CSU Fresno. The College of Engineering will be assisted by the LBSU Center for International Trade & Transportation.
“The College of Engineering has a long history of conducting transportation research, including its environmental impacts, and transportation workforce training,” said Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs Hamid Rahai, the project’s principal investigator. “We are strongly committed to contributing our resources and efforts to helping California solve its transportation problems.”
The College of Engineering supports two transportation research centers. Its National Center for Transportation, Green Technologies and Education (TransGET), established in 2009, operates the Caltrans Joint Training and Certification Program, and conducts interdisciplinary research on infrastructure, freight movements, and mobility. The College’s Center for Energy and Environmental Research and Services (CEERS), established in 2003, focuses on the environmental impacts of transportation, and research on energy and environmental systems, environmental health, water resources, air pollution, and groundwater contamination.
The Long Beach and San Jose campuses are located in dense urban areas where congestion and efficient movement are of prime concern. The Chico and Fresno campuses, meanwhile, are located in the Central Valley, where deteriorating infrastructure and a lack of public transportation are paramount concerns.
Under SB 1, the California Legislature budgets up to $2 million annually to the CSU system to conduct transportation research, training, and workforce development. MTI is tasked with unifying the efforts of the four campuses to support the state’s geographical, cultural, racial, and socioeconomic diversity. MTI will administer funds and direct a process to identify specific research projects aligned with SB 1 priorities.
SB 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, is a landmark transportation investment to rebuild California by fixing neighborhood streets, freeways and bridges in communities across California and targeting funds toward transit and congested trade and commute corridor improvements.
