Research Highlights

Over the past year there has been a strong interest in using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for transportation research.

On December 2nd, JTRP hosted FHWA Indiana Division Administrator Mayela Sosa and her colleagues, Jermaine Hannon, Keith Hoernschemeyer, Jose Ortiz, and Karen Stippich. Highlights of the visit included tours of the Bowen Laboratory, CAI/S-BRITE Center, and Hampton Hall with displayed posters and demonstrations by JTRP researchers. It was a great opportunity to showcase our Purdue partnership with FHWA and INDOT and to discuss future opportunities.

Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) awarded the 2016 Innovation Award for the Peer-to-Peer Adaptive Signal Control System to Moab, Utah.

Professor Rodrigo Salgado and Professor Monica Prezzi are testing 100-feet long, open-ended pipe piles for the new bridge crossing the Wabash River. The result of this research could reduce the cost of building or replacing bridges in the near future.

Feature article from WBAA with Lyles School of Civil Engineering Professor and S-BRITE Director, Robert Connor, along with LTAP Research Manager, Pat Conner, about our program's effort to improve bridge inspection.

JTRP's Wayne Bunnell and Drake Krohn were featured in a recent interview on how recording the demolition of the Sagamore Parkway bridge can be used for educational purposes.

On April 7th, Tom Brummett came to Purdue University to deliver a lecture on drilled shaft construction and testing to students and INDOT engineers. The lecture covered thermal integrity testing, O-cell testing, CSL, and the SQUID test. Tom is a Project Supervisor for INDOT located in the Vincennes District. Tom's enthusiasm and dedication to his work is an inspiration to everyone involved.

On Wednesday, April 13th, the Lyles School of Civil Engineering hosted the German America Chamber of Commerce for a seminar on the innovation of energy efficiency in transportation systems. The event kick-off was a poster session in the Woods Commons to highlight some active research projects and give students an opportunity to engage with German transportation specialists.

The 102nd Purdue Road School Transportation Conference and Expo broke another record with over 2,600 attendees.