UMass Transportation Center gains funds for program coordination

The funds will be used to unite and operate the Local Technical Assistance Program, the Cooperative Research Program, and the Transportation Training Institute.
The funds will be used to unite and operate the Local Technical Assistance Program, the Cooperative Research Program, and the Transportation Training Institute. | File photo

The UMASS Transportation Center (UMTC), which is part of the University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Engineering, recently received over $6 million in funds from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The funds will be used to unite and operate the Local Technical Assistance Program, the Cooperative Research Program, and the Transportation Training Institute.

The financing will last through September 2018 and help the center to unify the programs within one core center. 

“This provides a closer, more specialized relationship between UMass Amherst and MassDOT,” Michael Knodler, the UTMC director and an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at UMass Amherst, said.

With the united programs, there will be a faster method for applying new ideas and programs. Now the technology transfer can help people in various municipalities finish their projects and jobs much more efficiently.

With the new framework, UMTC will offer support and research for MassDOT. It will use the UMass system resources, which make transportation-related issues much more easily accessible. In addition, the center will provide training for Massachusetts’ transportation industry and infrastructure.