Gorman Gilbert, Director
Perhaps the best word to describe ITRE these days is partnership. The Institute participates in many partnershipssome with universities, some with public agencies, some with private firms. Each partnership is designed to achieve the ITRE goal of addressing the critical transportation problems facing North Carolina and the nation. And each partnership is marked by that most precious of commodities: cooperation.One partnership has produced the new Center for Transportation and the Environment. Funded both by the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation, CTE is operated by ITRE and the Department of Civil Engineering at NCSU. CTE is now in operation and has funded its first round of research projects. From its funding to its administration to its policy-setting, CTE is a true partnership among the two DOTs and the University.
Likewise, the new Transportation Materials Research Center is a partnership that includes the two DOTs, the University, and private companies in the aggregates industry of North Carolina. This Center is also now in its first year of operation. ITRE provides funding for the Center and participates in the operation and policy-setting for the Center.
We also are pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with NCDOT in both ongoing and new activities, and we are especially pleased that NCDOT continues to rely on ITRE for training and research. As noted earlier, NCDOT is an active partner in funding and operating CTE and TMRC. And NCDOT has asked the Institute to carry out many smaller projects. We are grateful for this cooperative relationship with NCDOT.
There are other partnerships as well. The Southeastern Transportation Center is a cooperative partnership among several universities in the Southeast. Of particular importance is the relationship between ITRE and North Carolina A&T State University in operating STC. The NC Energy Division and the NC Department of Public Instruction continue to cooperate with ITRE in operating the Transportation Information Management System that optimizes school bus routes throughout the state. The Federal Transit Administration, NCDOT, and the City of Winston-Salem are cooperating in a four-way partnership with ITRE in testing the use of new vehicle control and communications technology in public transportation.
ITRE is also working in a partnership with the National Academy of Public Administration to carry out a National Cooperative Highway Research Program project. This project is examining the capabilities of state departments of transportation to adapt to the changing pressures that they now face.
There are many more partnerships. Each one is important to ITRE as we address transportation problems that are increasingly complex and pressing. We value each partnership. . .and each partner.
Gorman Gilbert
Director
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