Current Research

Sponsor: NCHRP, Iowa State University, prime

PI: Edward Smaglik

Co-PIs: Steven Gehrke and Brendan Russo

NAU, in conjunction with Iowa State University, the University of Idaho, Mead & Hunt,
and Illumine Transportation are tasked with providing guidance on utilizing up-to-date effective
practices and research outcomes that have been successfully implemented after STMv2. At the
minimum, the research shall:

• Support an objectives-oriented, actively managed traffic signal timing process that starts
  with goals, considers context, supports the implementation of strategies and tactics, and
  addresses evaluation… Read more

Sponsor: Maricopa Association of Governments

PI: Edward Smaglik

Co-PI: Brendan Russo

The Northern Arizona University team will perform a qualitative and quantitative
evaluation of Flow Labs’ traffic evaluation and optimization software deployed across a corridor
in the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) region, Higley Road in the Town of Gilbert.
Quantitatively, travel times and speeds along the subject corridor will be compared before and
after various timing changes recommended by the software platform. Qualitatively, interviews
with Town of Gilbert personnel will be… Read more

Sponsor: City of Phoenix, AZ

PI: Edward Smaglik

Co-PIs: Steven Gehrke and Brendan Russo

Given the results previous evaluation and a desire to better serve City residents, the
City of Phoenix would like to implement the KITS ATMS to monitor and control their traffic signal
controllers, including Econolite ASC/3, Econolite Cobalt, Econolite EOS, and Siemens
NextPhase controllers. AZTrans personnel will provide project management services for the
installation, calibration, and configuration of a KITS system serving 550 traffic signals owned
and operated by… Read more

Sponsor: USDOT, through USC

PI: Edward Smaglik

Co-PIs: Steven Gehrke and Brendan Russo

The Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center is the Region 9
University Transportation Center funded under the US Department of Transportation’s University
Transportation Centers Program. Established in 2016, the Pacific Southwest Region UTC (PSR)
is led by the University of Southern California and includes nine partners:

California State University, Long Beach
Northern Arizona University
Pima Community College
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University… Read more

PI: Robin Tuchscherer

Prescriptive shear requirements from ACI 318 (2019), AASHTO LRFD (2020), and
the fib Model Code (2010) include a minimum web reinforcement requirement. In general,
slender beams require a minimum area of web reinforcement equal to 0.08% of the cross-
section, while non-slender beams require up to 0.30%, or roughly three times more than the
slender beam requirement. This investigation aims to evaluate the discrepancy between these
requirements in terms of the strength and serviceability behavior of experimental… Read more

Sponsor: Federal Highway Administration

PI: Robin Tuchscherer

Co-PIs: Benjamin Dymond, Joshua Hewes

Traditionally, undergraduate engineering students view their course work as a
necessary means toward a degree. At which point, they enter the workforce and learn what it
“really takes” to be an engineer. They do not necessarily view the knowledge acquired as the
important means toward the foundational theoretical and mathematical principles needed to be
an engineer. Thus, there is a need for an engineering program that provides skills which areRead more