ITRE Achievements

Each program area is listed with a link to respective achievements:

ITRE
Highway Systems Group
Municipal Technical Services Program
Center for Transportation and the Environment
NC Local Technical Assistance Program
Public Transportation Group
Pupil Transportation Group

ITRE Achievements

• Lead institute for the Southeastern Transportation Center, a USDOT University Transportation Center (1989-1995)
• Member of the North Carolina Transportation Consortium (2002)
• Designated by the UNC-OP in MOU with the Technical University of Lisbon in the area of Transportation and the Environment

Highway Systems Group Achievements

• Development of NCDOT's Flexible and Rigid Pavement Management Systems (1982, 1984; training from 1982 - present)
• Development and instruction of Highway Engineering Concepts (1985 - present)
• Development and instruction of Fundamental Engineering Principles (1991 - present)
• Development and instruction of Professional Engineering Exam Review and Fundamentals of Engineering Exam Review (1985 - present)
• Development and instruction of Work Zone Safety Courses (1989 - present)
• Development and instruction of traffic engineering and software workshops (1985 - present)
• Development of distance learning training materials (2001 - present)
• Administration of NCDOT Research Program (2001 - present)
• Triangle Regional Model Service Bureau (start 2003)
• Local, regional and national research (highway financing, safety, transportation and traffic engineering, vehicle emissions; 1996 - present)
• Substantial increase in research funding from national sources including NCHRP, FHWA, NIH and NSF

Municipal Technical Services Program Achievements

• Development and instruction of GIS and GPS software workshops
  (1990 - present)
• Provide technical assistance services to municipalities (1990 - present)
• Provide technical services to other ITRE programs (1988 - present)
• Conduct and / or provide technical services for research projects
  (1997 - present)

Center for Transportation and the Environment Achievements

• Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) established with funding from the USDOT and NCDOT as the first national university transportation center to focus on the environment. (1992)
• CTE, along with EPA, conducts first in an annual series of national satellite broadcasts. (1994-present)
• CTE sponsors research that helps develop a new mower/herbicide application method for roadside vegetation management that wins a FHWA Environmental Excellence Award. (1997)
• CTE conducts the first Web simulcast of one of its national satellite broadcasts and begins using the Web as a primary means of communicating the results of its research, education, and technology transfer programs. (1998-present)
• CTE assists AASHTO with the development of a business plan to establish the new AASHTO Center for Environmental Excellence; CTE remains involved in various activities related to this center, including managingand hosting the Web site, www.stewardship.transportation.org, for the AASHTO Environmental Stewardship Demonstration Program. (2000-present)
• CTE is sponsor and lead organizer for the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation, the only biennial, inter-agency event of its kind. (2001-present)
• CTE and NCDOT launch a professional development training series for NCDOT employees on "Context Sensitive Solutions" that will reach more than 2,000 NCDOT employees over the next two years, including invited staff from sister agencies and related organizations. (2003)

LTAP Achievements

• Established in 1982 by the Federal Highway Administration
  (one of 57 centers nationwide)
• Development and instruction of workshops for local governments (1982-present)
• Provide technical assistance to local governments (1982-present)
• Produce and distribute a quarterly newsletter for local governments (1982-present)
• Created the NC Roads Scholar Program in 1993
  (282 have completed the Program to date)
• Created the NC Advanced Roads Scholar Program in 1995
  (37 have completed the Advanced Program to date)

Public Transportation Group Achievements

• Public Transportation Program introduced; Anna Nalevanko, Program Director; first contract with NCDOT Public Transportation Division (June 1992)
• Urban Transportation Assistance Program started; Debbie Collins, Program Manager (February 1994)
• First program area taxicab research project (City of Durham, NC) (January 1995)
• First installation, with associated technical support, of demand-responsive scheduling software (Mini Pass) at rural NC transit system (September 1996)
• Public Transportation Program becomes Transit Operations Group (April 1997)
• First program area contract with NCDOT Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation (October 1997)
• First contract with NCDOT Rail Division (November 1997)
• Awarded Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Project B-16: Analysis of the Private-for-Hire Vehicle Industry and Its Role in Public Transit, first instance of ITRE winning TRB national research study as lead contractor (January 1998)
• First installation of TrIP (Transit Information Program) software, developed by Transit Operations Group (February 2000)
• Transit Operations Group becomes Public Transportation Group (July 2001)

Pupil Transportation Group Achievements

Transportation Information Management System (TIMS)

• Installed the first Transportation Information Management System (TIMS) in Durham and Cumberland counties (1986)
• Received award in the category of Operations Automation by the Urban and Regional Information System Association (URISA) (1993)
• First in the nation with statewide installation of computer-assisted school bus routing and scheduling system (TIMS) (1994)
• Develop and conduct training courses using the TIMS software system across the state (1987- present)
• Statewide TIMS User Conference (1991- present)
• First in the nation to incorporate "bus route hazard warning" as a result of Fox River Grove school bus and train crash incidents (1999)
• First in the nation to use Global Positioning Systems to track a school bus (1999)
• Supported the first Ph.D. student in the nation with study emphasis on multi-modal school transportation (2003)

School Transportation Group

• Established School Transportation Group jointly with UNC Highway Safety Research Center to address multi-modal school transportation issues (2000)
• Applied Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) to address illegal passing of school buses while loading/unloading passengers (1999)
• Received national award on Best State Manual for the development of "Special Needs Require Special Care, A Guide for the Transportation of Preschoolers and Children with Disabilities for North Carolina Public Schools" (2003)

Operations Research and Education Laboratory (OR/Ed. Lab)

• Established Operations Research and Education Laboratory (OR/Ed. Lab) to assist school districts to forecast student population enrollment and to produce optimal solutions for future school sites and attendance boundaries (2000)
• Expanded operation beyond North Carolina school districts with the first out of state project in Rock Hill, South Carolina (2003)