URC: Innovative Transportation Research Institute

About Innovative Transportation Research Institute (ITRI)

Contact InformationOpen

Dr. Lei Yu, Director
Dr. Fengxiang Qiao, Co-Director
Phone: 713-313-1915
Fax: 713-313-1856
website: https://coset.tsu.edu/itri/

Collaboration DataOpen

Internal interdisciplinary collaboration for FY 2022: TSU Center for Justice Research and Thurgood Marshall School of Law Student Bar Association.

External interdisciplinary collaboration for FY 2022: The Institute has collaborated with the PVAMU Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center, Texas Criminal defense Lawyers Association, the NAACP Houston Branch, Lone Star Legal Aid, South Texas College of Law, University of Houston Law Center, Houston Volunteer Lawyers, City of Houston Department of Neighborhoods, ONE Houston, Texas Appleseed, Disability Rights Texas, Children’s Defense Fund Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Center for Civic & Public Policy Improvement, Harris County Juvenile Probation Department, Houston Housing Authority, Texas Women's Foundation and the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association.

Internal interdisciplinary collaboration for FY 2022: While based in the Department of Transportation Studies, ITRI was actively working with other programs and research centers, such as the Department of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences and the Department of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy, on joint educational and research collaborations.

External interdisciplinary collaboration for FY 2022: Conducted research on "Synthesis of Best Applications and Verification Practices for Long-Life Pavement Markings" under the direction and support from the Texas Department of Transportation. The research report (R1) and project summary report (PSR) have been accepted for printing and distribution.

The Innovative Transportation Research Institute (ITRI) at TSU was developed in the fall of 2006 by expanding the former Urban Traffic and Air Quality Lab (UTAQL), which was first established in 2000. The goals are to develop, evaluate, optimize, and recommend comprehensive strategies for traffic congestion mitigation, mobile source emission reduction, fuel consumption saving, urban transportation planning, and ITS development, through the smart utilization of advanced technologies, large-scale computer simulation methods, complex modeling systems, and state-of-the-art lab equipment. The missions are to conduct innovative research and development to seek optimal solutions to various transportation problems, and to develop and deliver high-quality education and training programs to traffic engineers, transportation planners, transportation managers, air quality specialists, etc. ITRI receives funding support from various federal and state level agencies, including the newly awarded National Center for Sustainable Transportation (NCST), where ITRI is a member of the seven-institution consortium, a national University Transportation Center (UTC) funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which also includes the University of California at Davis, University of Southern California, the California State University at Long Beach, the University of California at Riverside, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Vermont.