Mission and Goals

Mission 

The mission of GPTRC is to improve the safety, mobility, and productivity of transportation systems through innovative research focusing on the following themes. (1) Improve the safety, economy, and durability of highway pavement by conducting research in pavement materials, performance modeling, design, construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance. (2) Improve the safety and efficiency of transportation infrastructure by conducting research in innovative infrastructure systems design and management, active/proactive traffic management, and traffic control technologies.

The GPTRC’s mission directly aligns with the University’s research, scholarship, creative activities, and public service initiatives, which aim to expand and apply knowledge, contribute to economic development, and improve the quality of life in local communities, Georgia, the nation, and the world.

Goals

1. Establish a nationally recognized research program in pavement and transportation engineering.

  • Serve the local and regional research needs with extensions to critically important issues at the national and international levels.
  • Foster multidisciplinary research through partnership or collaboration with other universities, research institutes, public agencies, industry, and individuals.

2. Serve as a regional resource center for transportation/pavement professionals and industry in Georgia.

GPTRC aims to develop and offer certification and professional education/training programs in pavement and traffic engineering. GPTRC also provides laboratory and field test services and products evaluation to help expedite commercialization and adoption of new or emerging technologies. Those include, but not limited to:

  • Testing on pavement materials (e.g., asphalt, concrete, aggregate, and soils)
  • Performance testing of mix designs
  • Evaluation of evolving Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies, such as emerging vehicle detection technologies, adaptive signal control systems, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi based travel time systems, transportation initiatives related to smart cities.
  • Exploration of "Deep Learning" and “Big Data” applications in the field of pavement and traffic engineering.

3. Serve as an on-campus resource center to supplement classroom learning and provide research opportunities to students.

Students in related fields will have opportunities to gain research and hands-on experience and financial support from the Center by participating in both externally and internally funded research projects.

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