Researchers at Utah State University have developed a non-proprietary ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) mix that will be at least 50% less expensive than proprietary mixes. Overall, the developed locally sourced mix evaluated in this project exhibited excellent mechanical, durability, and volume...

In early research on infrastructure-embedded power systems for electric vehicles, researchers at Utah State University studied concrete slabs embedded with electric power systems to determine their durability. The inductive power transfer system (IPTS) is an electrical system that might one day power...

Researchers at Utah State University examined how the vital connections between bridge components used in accelerated bridge construction react to vehicle impacts and how those impacts affect any subsequent earthquake activity. They found that the location of those connectors within columns and footers...

Researchers at Utah State University studied the connections between steel reinforcement bars embedded in concrete bridges to help bridge designers improve designs for accelerated bridge construction. The construction technique cuts construction time and costs, reduces risk for workers and the traveling...

Utah State University researchers developed a protective coating to safeguard bridge decks overlaid with polymer concrete (PC), a material that is seeing an increased use because of its high bond strength, short curing times, good resistance to water and chlorine penetration, and excellent skid and abrasion...

Research at Utah State University will help guide programs designed to change travel behaviors in a way that will improve air quality. The research provides insight into people’s perceptions of air pollution and how they change (or do not change) their travel behavior in response to episodes of area-wide...

Researchers at Utah State University are taking advantage of novel pedestrian push-button traffic signal data to advance pedestrian traffic monitoring and improve pedestrian traffic safety. They are using the data along with machine learning techniques to estimate pedestrian volume and to better understand...

Research at Utah State University provides a roadmap for standardizing connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) crash reporting practices across the United States. By implementing recommendations such as uniform reporting forms, enhanced legislative frameworks, and targeted education and training programs...

Researchers at Utah State University are using data collected during a 2020 earthquake near Salt Lake City to help improve models used to design earthquake resistant transportation infrastructure. The earthquake was recorded by a unique arrangement of seismometers, called a downhole array, at the intersection...

As roundabouts become increasingly popular, and as many communities promote bicycle use, a major concern is the safety of roundabouts for bicyclists. Researchers at Utah State University studied bicyclists' safety perceptions of and preferences for roundabouts with different characteristics. The researchers...

The University of Utah was awarded approximately $600,000 by the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) Deep Technology Talent Initiative to introduce a pioneering Transportation Infrastructure Electrification Joint Certificate Program. USHE's Technology Talent Initiative aims to support the creation...

MPC researcher and Utah State University Professor Brady Cox is this year's recipient of the American Society of Civil Engineers Prakash Lecturer Award for outstanding research or professional practice contributions in the area of geotechnical engineering or soil dynamics. Only one person is selected...

Aleks Paskett, a master's degree student in civil engineering at Utah State University, has been named the 2023 Student of the Year for the Mountain-Plains Consortium. He will be honored with other award winners from across the country during an awards ceremony January 6 in Washington, D.C. Paskett's...

Researchers from the Mountain-Plains Consortium's eight collaborating universities were among the more than 20,000 transportation administrators, practitioners, policy makers, and researchers who came to Washington, DC, for the Transportation Research Board's 102nd Annual Meeting, January 8–12. The...

Prasanna Humagain was named "Doctoral Researcher of the Year" because of his impressive publication record (six peer-reviewed articles in 2021); a timely dissertation, which advanced theory and knowledge about COVID's impacts on tourists' decision-making for outdoor recreational travel; and impact on...

MPC produces volumes of research that is critical to maintaining and improving the transportation systems of our region, the nation and the world. That research would not be possible without the efforts of our students who collect and analyze data, test new ideas and approaches, and help interpret results....

Earlier this year at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Washington D.C., Utah State University Civil and Environmental Engineering master's student Joshua Ward received an Eisenhower Transportation Graduate Fellowship. Ward will receive $31,500 from the Federal Highway Administration...

Researchers from the Mountain-Plains Consortium's eight collaborating universities were among the thousands of transportation administrators, practitioners, policy makers and researchers who came to Washington, DC, for the Transportation Research Board's 101st Annual Meeting, January 9-13. The meeting...

Research at Utah State University into public perceptions of connected vehicles (CVs) and the data from them that is collected and shared will guide policy making that will make CVs more acceptable to the public and promote their adoption. CVs offer potential improvements, including improved efficiency...

Research at Utah State University is establishing a reference for transportation agencies to use in making budgetary or policy decisions regarding autonomous vehicles and big data management. The researchers collected roadway geospatial data with a simple mobile LiDAR (light detection and ranging) setup...

Joshua Ward, an undergraduate researcher at Utah State University, was recently named the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 2021 Undergraduate Researcher of the Year and the 2021 Undergraduate Researcher of the Year for the USU College of Engineering. In part, the awards recognize his...

Several papers from MPC-funded research projects were recently published. They include the following: "Bicycle safety at roundabouts: a systemic literature review" was written by Niranjan Pudel and Patrick Singleton with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Utah State University....

Bridge decks strengthened with glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP) have shown promise for improving the service life of bridges subjected to deicing salts that corrode steel-reinforced bridges. Unfortunately, GFRP is typically brittle and prone to to possible failure. MPC researchers at Utah State...

In the first testing of full-scale bridge girders constructed with calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement, MPC researchers at Utah State University determined that the performance of CSA cement could be predicted by current load and resistance factor design specifications. The research results indicate...

Marv Halling, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Utah State University and longtime MPC collaborator and principle investigator has been named MPC director for USU. He currently serves as head of the department's Structures Division. As director, he will coordinate USU's participation...

To develop data that could help improve the design of bridge girders, MPC researchers at Utah State University investigated the amount of strain typical vehicles caused in the bottom of each girder as they travel across the bridge. This research also examined the maximum strains in the bridge girders...

MPC researchers have developed an improved approach to highway maintenance and rehabilitation that better integrates the selection and scheduling of projects. A goal of the approach is to select and schedule projects to maximize their benefit or effectiveness while minimizing the traffic impacts of work...

An airborne remote sensing method called LiDAR (light detection and ranging) is a promising method for collecting data on highway assets such as bridges and culverts, according to MPC research at Utah State University. The researchers found that airborne LiDAR is much faster in data collection than...

Holly Lloyd, a December 2016 graduate of Utah State University's master's program in civil engineering, was named the 2017 Student of the Year for USDOT's Region 8. Lloyd's master's project involved the analysis of the safety effectiveness of the diverging diamond interchanges in Utah. Her advisor was...

Utah State University student Holly Lloyd recently won first place in the Institute of Transportation Engineers Intermountain Section Student Paper Competition. The competition was part of the annual section conference in Jackson Hole, WY, in May. The paper featured her master's project focusing on the...