About Us
The University Transportation Centers (UTC) Infrastructure Consortium advances knowledge and improves practices in infrastructure design, planning, and management through shared expertise and collaborative research. This effort focuses on the U.S. DOT’s priorities of Improving the Durability and Extending the Life of Transportation Infrastructure and Preserving the Existing Transportation System. In this consortium, 47 universities and colleges in 26 states and territories are working together to arrive at transformative solutions to the nation’s most pressing infrastructure problems.
Our Mission
Advance the durability, reliability, and service life of transportation infrastructure through collaborative, multidisciplinary and implementable research that drives innovation and pioneers the next generation of transportation systems and workforce.
Our Vision
Create a future where transportation infrastructure is smarter, stronger, and more durable through collaborative and multi-disciplinary research, innovation, and real-world solutions.
Annual Transportation Summits
Each year, the UTC Infrastructure Consortium holds a national transportation infrastructure summit. These events highlight some of our most transformative research projects and engage a wide range of transportation practitioners and researchers in collaborative discussions.
About the UTC Program
The University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program is a critical source of innovation, transformational research, education, workforce development, and technology transfer that benefit the U.S. traveling public and the movement of freight while ensuring the safety and efficiency of the nation’s transportation system. The UTC Program was initially authorized by Congress in the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 and implemented by U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) in 1988 through a grant competition. The UTC program was subsequently reauthorized in 1991, 1998, 2005, 2012, 2015 and 2021. Each time, the universities that received funding were selected through a competitive open solicitation process.
The current authorization provides funding for 35 University Transportation Centers (5 National, 10 Regional, and 20 Tier 1 Centers). Under U.S. DOT’s leadership, the UTCs are concentrating their research in several key focus areas: improving mobility of people and goods; reducing congestion; promoting safety; improving the durability and extending the life of transportation infrastructure; and reducing transportation cybersecurity risks. Most of the UTCs represent consortiums of universities. Hence, participation in the program is wide-ranging, involving universities in all regions of the United States. In addition to conducting focused research, UTCs with the same or similar themes are collaborating with each other. These coordinated efforts and sharing of expertise amplify the impacts of the program.