Center for Infrastructure, Transportation and the Environment

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Director: Jose Holguin-Veras

CITE Home Page: http://transp.rpi.edu/~CITE

The Center for Infrastructure, Transportation, and the Environment (CITE) is a national and international leader in research, education, outreach, and technology transfer in the areas of infrastructure, transportation, and their links to the environment. CITE was formerly the Center for Infrastructure and Transportation Studies (CITS), which was originally established in 1993 as a collaborative environment in which interdisciplinary transportation and infrastructure-related research could be conducted. A member of the Council for University Transportation Centers (CUTC), CITE is known for research in freight transportation, humanitarian logistics, intelligent transportation systems, transportation systems planning, network modeling, traffic simulation, advanced econometrics, and traffic signal system control.

The mission of the Center is to investigate complex transportation and infrastructure problems and to assist in developing solutions or approaches for dealing with these problems. The Center either directly provides solutions to the owners, operators, or users of civil infrastructure systems or delivers educational technologies that allow the owners, operators, or users to develop and implement their own solutions. CITE focuses on the following roles:

• Providing a forum for complex transportation issues, identifying the parameters of the issues and cooperatively develop solutions or approaches for dealing with the issues.
• Conducting studies in systems operation and facilities management.
• Developing policies and methodologies to increase the sustainability of transportation activity.
• Developing analytical techniques that help identify and prioritize investments in transportation infrastructure.

CITE provides an administrative umbrella for the new Center of Excellence on Sustainable Urban Freight Systems (CoE-SUFS), funded by the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF). This $4 million, five-year international research venture seeks to jumpstart the creation of a framework that engages and fosters collaboration between cities, the private sector, and academia.  Through collaboration between its core research partners, core industry partners and associate research centers across six continents, CoE-SUFS will develop a holistic, integrated suite of technologies, regulations, and incentives to help shape a new paradigm of freight transportation systems that are more cost efficient, more energy efficient, and less disruptive to commuter traffic in urban centers.

During its early years, the main funding for CITS was derived from the New York State Thruway Authority, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). More recently, continued funding from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) has replaced local and state funding as the main source of research revenues for CITE. This reflects the national stature and leadership role played by the faculty associated with the center. Work on pavement management systems, bridge management systems, hazardous materials logistics, and traffic signal systems has given way to projects focused on freight transportation modeling, economics, sustainable systems, and traffic control.

Civil and environmental engineers (CEE) have a crucial role to play in the solution of mankind’s challenges, both current and future. The nature of this role is being shaped by a conjunction of emerging challenges and societal/technological trends. Among them, it is important to highlight:

• The important role played by CEE towards achieving energy and environmental goals.
• The CEE research needs associated with unmanaged urbanization and the rise of megacities.
• The anticipated increase in natural and man-made disasters and the need to develop new paradigms of resilient and sustainable CEE systems.
• The pervasive role of information technology, sensors, and wireless technologies that can enhance CEE decision making.
• The deplorable state of the nation’s infrastructure and the need to create new paradigms of design and operation that lead to sustainable and resilient CEE systems.
• Climate change and its impacts on coastal areas where the share of the world population is increasing.

 Projects recently completed or presently underway include:

• Humanitarian logistics (NSF)
• Dynamic urban goods modeling (NSF)
• Integrated urban freight demand management (USDOT)
• Advanced Wireless Traveler Information Systems (USDOT/NYSDOT)
• Assessment of Impacts of Value Pricing Projects (FHWA/NJDOT)
• Freight-related network enhancements (USDOT/NYSDOT)
• Traffic simulation modeling of planned special events (NYSDOT)

Current research funding within CITE/CITS stands at between $1.5-$2 million/year. Total research funding at Rensselaer is $80 million, a significant portion of which comes from industry, well above the national average, and testimony to the importance of Rensselaer research to the private sector.

Affiliated Faculty: J. Ban, J. Chow, G. de Angelo, R. Dobry, F. Duchin, M. Embrechts, K. Fortun, J. Holguin-Veras (Director),  M. Kalsher, M. O’Rourke, W. Wallace, C. Wang.

Participating Faculty: J. Ban, G. de Angelo,  F. Duchin, K. Fortun. M. Goldberg, J. Holguin-Veras (Director), M. Magdon-Ismail, J. Mitchell, S. W. Wallace, C. Wang

Research Engineering Staff: J. Wojtowicz

Administrative Staff: J. Pertierra

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