The University of Arkansas said Thursday that transportation researchers there will receive a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to create the Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center.
The money was announced Tuesday by U.S. Sens. Mark Pryor and John Boozman and Rep. Steve Womack, all of Arkansas.
The UA said the grant will augment transportation research at the university and address the Transportation Department’s goal of “economic competiveness through efficient, resilient and sustainable transportation systems on U.S. navigable waterways.”
The center, also called MarTREC, will function as a consortium of researchers at the University of Arkansas, Jackson State University, Louisiana State University and the University of New Orleans, all of which have proximity to navigable waterways along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast.
The $1.4 million grant will be matched by $750,000 from a combination of sources, including each of the four institutions, the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department and in-kind and cash support from private industry, said Heather Nachtmann, professor of industrial engineering and principal investigator for the grant.
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