Project
Enhancing Road Safety for Local Rural and Tribal Persistent Poverty... (2024)
Region Info
North Dakota State University
Go back: Region Map > North Dakota
Final Report
Sensitivity and Accuracy Assessment of Vehicle Weigh-In-Motion... (Aug 2024)
About Partner
North Dakota State University (NDSU) is a student-focused, land-grant, research university. NDSU, via its Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI), is the lead university in the CTIPS and the UGPTI is the focal point for most CTIPS activity on campus. The UGPTI is an interdisciplinary center, providing innovative transportation research, education and outreach that promote the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. The UGPTI was created in 1967 at NDSU by the North Dakota Legislature. It now has an annual budget of more than $12.5 million and a staff of about 40. The UGPTI also employs about 10 graduate students. Areas of staff expertise include, infrastructure modeling and needs analysis, rural transit, traffic analysis, Intelligent Transportation Systems, agricultural and freight logistics, low-power sensing, wireless communications, mobile computing, rural transportation and safety, and software and database systems in support of commercial vehicle inspection and enforcement. UGPTI is also home to the ND Local Technical Assistance Program, an outreach program facilitating the exchange of transportation technology among local units of government. That exchange of technical knowledge is also reflected in UGPTI's emphasis on tribal outreach.
Meet Our People (View More Bios)
Kimberly Vachal, Ph.D.
University Director
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Ying Huang, Ph.D.
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Denver Tolliver, Ph.D.
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University Labs / Resources
- Traffic modeling is a key strength for UGPTI. Staff developed detailed rural road traffic models to estimate traffic volumes on North Dakota's road network. Staff use the models to estimate the impact to state, county and local roads due to oil development in the Bakken formation in North Dakota and Montana. In addition, changing agricultural production and marketing practices and their impacts on North Dakota's road network are analyzed.
- Advanced Traffic Analysis Center (ATAC) collects and analyzes traffic data to support decision makers who plan, operate, and fund transportation systems at the local, regional, and state level. Primary areas of work include intelligent transportation systems, traffic operations, and metropolitan transportation planning and travel demand modeling.
- Center for Surface Mobility Applications and Real-time Simulation environments (SMARTSe) applies advancements in sensing, wireless communications, mobile computing, data science, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence to advance multimodal and intermodal transportation system efficiencies, responsiveness, reliability, sustainability, safety, and security.
- Commercial Vehicle Safety Center (CVSC) is a point of contact for universities, law enforcement, and driver licensing agencies looking to establish partnerships to improve commercial vehicle safety. CVSC hosts biennial Commercial Vehicle Safety Summits, sponsors webinars and provides resources in addition to conducting research and analysis. Research focuses on analyses intended to identify the causes of unsafe commercial vehicles, drivers, and companies, as well as methods to improve safety.
- DOT Support Center (DOTSC) provides engineering design assistance and transportation information technology support to transportation managers to ensure the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. Undergraduate engineering students in the center work under the direction of DOT engineers to prepare plans, estimates, and studies for real world projects. Computer science students provide IT support and assist staff in the development of applications such as a local road surface selection tool, the online ND Truck Weight Calculator, and the Geographic Roadway Inventory Tool (GRIT).
- North Dakota Local Technical Assistance Program (NDLTAP) fosters safe, efficient, environmentally sound and cost effective highway, road, and street systems by exchanging technology with local units of government and the transportation community through training, technical assistance, and information services. Key areas for hands-on, online, and distance training include safety, gravel road management, construction topics, rural road maintenance, and asset management.
- Northern Tribal Technical Assistance Program (Northern TTAP) provides transportation outreach and technical assistance to tribes across the Upper Great Plains and Intermountain West. The program works with American Indian tribal governments to build tribal capacity in program management, grow the tribal workforce, cultivate and coordinate partnerships, facilitate technology transfer and the implementation of innovations, and share results of similar initiatives across the country. The program is a collaboration funded by FHWA, led by the UGPTI, and includes the Local Technical Assistance Programs at Western Transportation Institute/Montana State University, University of Nebraska, South Dakota State University, and the University of Wyoming.
- Rural Transportation Safety and Security Center (RTSSC) promotes and enhances the region's transportation safety and security through research, education, and outreach. Staff members conduct safety analyses to evaluate and guide local, state, and federal initiatives. RTSSC's research tracks trends in road safety factors, such as impaired drivers, youthful drivers, and occupant protection.
- Transportation Learning Network (TLN) promotes safe and efficient transportation by connecting people through enhanced communication, workforce development, education, professional growth, technology transfer, and research. TLN serves its members and the broader transportation community. TLN’s initiatives ensure that DOT employees as well as other transportation professionals, such as local governments, tribal agencies, and consultants working on behalf of the public sector are equipped to adopt new technologies, work safely, and perform technical tasks accurately and efficiently. TLN is a dynamic partnership with the Departments of Transportation in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, and the Center for Transformative Infrastructure Preservation & Sustainability (CTIPS).
Department Information
Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute
North Dakota State University
NDSU Dept 2880
PO Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050
Phone: (701)231-7767
Email: ndsu.ugpti@ndsu.edu