Environmentally Responsible Transportation Center for Communities of Concern
The Environmentally Responsible Transportation Center for Communities of Concern (ERTC 3) is a Tier 1 University Transportation Center to address the US DOT’s statutory research priority area of preserving the environment.
ERTC3 will perform research to develop innovative approaches that will improve the sustainability, resilience, and equity of transportation infrastructure.
Find out more about ERTC 3Projects
Surface Modification Approaches to Turn Waste Plastics into Beneficial Additive for Concrete (active)
US DOT Priorities: This project directly addresses DOT’s research priority of “Preserving the Environment” by developing novel approaches to turning waste plastics into a beneficial additive for concrete, leading to effective mitigation strategies to address the potential pollution...
View projectAdvancing Sustainable Transportation with Innovative Near-Zero Carbon Emission Cement Derived from 100% Industrial Byproducts (active)
Project Description: The proposed project aims to develop a near-zero carbon emission cement made entirely from 100% industrial by-products. This initiative supports the Department of Transportation's goals by promoting sustainable construction practices that significantly reduce carbon emissi...
View projectInvestigation of Bridge Scour Mitigation with Nature Binding Material: Seaweed (active
Project Description: Green construction material plays an important role in sustainable development. With the development of construction materials, biopolymers are gradually being used as a soil improvement additive in geotechnical engineering. Seaweed, also known as macroalgae, is a diverse group ...
View projectEvaluation of the Role of Traffic Emissions in Elevated Particulate Matter Exposure in Disadvantaged Communities in Kansas City, MO (active)
Project Description: Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), an air pollutant, harms human health upon inhalation and leads to respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and death. It is well established that communities of color and impoverished communities are exposed to higher levels of air pollution ...
View projectQuantitative Study of Environmental Condition and PFAS Impacts on Microplastic (MP) Fate and Transport due to Effects on MP Flocculation (active)
Project Description: Microplastics (MPs) are a class of emerging contaminants of concern that result from the degradation products of plastic-based fibers, particles, and films. Transportation related pollution contributes notably to MP pollution in the environment, particularly in urban areas where...
View projectAn Initial Step Towards The Development Of Predictive Tools To Reduce Pollution From Transportation (active)
US DOT Priorities: This project aims at mitigating the particulate pollution from transportation systems towards Preserving the Environment and Climate and Sustainability Outputs: Successful implementation of this project will create a base modelling framework (in-silico) tool that allows optimizati...
View projectDissecting Disparities: How Transportation-Related Air Pollution Influences Childhood Cancer Across Racial/Ethnicity, Socioeconomic, and Geographic Lines in Texas (active)
Project Description: The relationship between environmental exposure and childhood cancer (ages 0-19 years), particularly due to transportation-related air pollution such as benzene and 1,3-butadiene, is increasingly evident and concerning. Despite childhood cancer being relatively rare, it remains ...
View projectTransit Equity Rx: Public Transit Bridges the Gap between Healthcare Access and Disadvantaged Communities (active)
Project Description: The importance of social equity in healthcare accessibility cannot be overstated. Disparities in health outcomes often occur among residents with different levels of access to healthcare, and spatial patterns of illness have been known to be associated with the distribution of h...
View projectEmpowering Sustainability and Equity: Harnessing School Buses for Workforce Transit (active)
Project Description: In addressing the dual challenges of environmental sustainability and transportation equity, the project aims to repurpose school buses for workforce transportation. This strategy emerges against a backdrop where low-income individuals frequently face limited access to efficient...
View projectA Framework To Boost Reactivity And Consistency Of Agricultural Residual Ashes As A Supplementary Cementitious Material (active)
Project Description: Decarbonizing transportation infrastructure is one of the primary goals of the US DOT. This project aims at decarbonizing transportation infrastructure by reducing the cement usage during its construction and maintenance. For this purpose, agricultural residues (corn stover and ...
View projectThermal Treatment Method to Remediate Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soils (active)
Project Description: Bioremediation, a promising technology, utilizes microbes to break down, transform, and ultimately eliminate specific pollutants such as petroleum hydrocarbons from contaminated soil. This process can be carried out in-situ, directly within the affected environment. However, in-...
View projectInvestigating the Impact of Land Use Disturbance on Streamflow Regime and Sediment Connectivity in Urban Headwater Systems (active)
Project Description: Streamflow regime is defined as the frequency, magnitude, duration, and timing of surface streamflow presence in a stream network. In headwater stream systems—stream reaches that form the start of river networks—streamflow regimes are highly dynamic, helping to maint...
View projectAn AI Powered Remote Sensing Framework for Monitoring and Predicting Roadside Water Quality (active)
Project Description: While air pollution is the most visible environmental impact of transportation systems, water pollution and quality issues are also of great importance in the transportation and environment nexus. Specifically, transportation systems can affect water quality directly in many way...
View projectRequest For Proposal
2024 – 2025 Request for Proposals The Environmentally Responsible Transportation Center for Communities of Concern (ERTC3) is soliciting proposals for projects to be funded in the 2024 – 2025 funding cycle between 6/1/2024 and 5/31/2025. ERTC3 is a Tier 1 University Transpor...
View projectTraffic Congestion and Asthma-related Hospital Visits in Central TX (concluded)
Project Description: As one of the most common health diseases that are susceptible to environmental changes in urban neighborhoods, asthma is a major health concern among the disadvantaged populations living in urban neighborhoods with a higher proportion of poverty and racial/ethnic minorities (Co...
View projectIn-pavement Charging for Electric Vehicles to Reduce Air Pollution (active)
Project Description: This proposal aims to develop an in-pavement charging system for electric vehicles that can offset the shortage of charging stations. The newly developed system will not only promote the usages of electric vehicles to reduce gas emission, but also provides a solution to public t...
View projectWater Quality Monitoring Network To Assess Downstream Efficacy Of Green Infrastructure And Provenance Of Non-Point Source Pollutants (active)
Project Description: We propose to establish a water quantity and water quality monitoring network that can be leveraged to evaluate the efficacy of green infrastructure to reduce runoff volumes and identify the provenance of non- point source pollutants in downstream water bodies. In urban settings...
View projectA Sustainable Snow-Free Pavement to Mitigate the Negative Effect of Road Salts on Soil and Water Environment (active)
Project Description: Extreme weather in winter, characterized by prolonged and severe conditions, is anticipated soon due to climate change. Consequently, the utilization of deicing chemicals such as salts (including Chloride-based, Formate-based, and Acetate solutions) is inevitable. These chemica...
View projectSubsurface Contamination Modeling and Remediation Techniques (active)
Project Description: More than half of the US population consumes groundwater for drinking. Thus, introducing any type of contaminants into the groundwater table can risk the lives of more than half of the population. Contaminants from multiple sources can impact the drinking water wells and other r...
View projectEvaluation of Green Infrastructure as a Means to Mitigate Increased Stormwater Volumes in Disadvantaged Communities (active)
Project Description: Flooding in the United States, exacerbated by factors like increased urbanization and inadequate stormwater management systems, has grown in frequency and intensity, impacting both social and economic aspects. Extreme events, not limited to hurricanes and superstorms, have cause...
View projectEvaluation of Bio-Inspired Water Treatment Plant Sludge Materials Through Mycelium (active)
Project Description: Researchers are focusing on developing innovative, sustainable materials characterized by low energy consumption and versatility. Mycelium-based materials, an emerging topic in sustainable construction, offer promise due to mycelium's renewable properties and its ability to brea...
View projectDeveloping Sustainable Waste Plastics Asphalt Roadway Construction (active)
Project Description: This proposed topic is in line with the ERTC3 thrust area of “Environmental Justice – assessment and mitigation of harmful environmental effects on vulnerable communities”. The results will lead to effective utilization of waste plastics in hot/warm mix a...
View projectNanotechnology-enabled sustainable and cement-free pervious concrete pavement (active)
Project Description: This proposed project aims to further advance the “greening” of pervious concrete pavement through the utilization of nanotechnology. Different from Phase I of this project, the Phase II will further incorporate three green technologies into the pervious concrete: (1...
View projectDevelop an Agent-based Modeling Tool to Promote Electrical Vehicle (EV) Deployment and Reduce Lung Cancer Risks (active)
Project Description: While air pollution is the most visible environmental impact of transportation systems, water pollution and quality issues are also of great importance in the transportation and environment nexus. Specifically, transportation systems can affect water quality directly in many way...
View projectTransport and Mitigation of Tire and Road Wear Microparticles in Stormwater Runoff from Highways (active)
Project Description: This proposed project aims to identify the transport and mitigation of tire and road wear microparticles in highway stormwater runoff. We will mainly focus on tire wear microplastics containing 6-PPD. The composition of the tire is a chemically complex and heterogene...
View projectRemediation of Oil Products Spillage During Transportation (active)
Project Description: This proposal aims to mitigate the oil spill from the road and water surface using commercial and sustainable dispersants. Frequent spillage of crude oils and refined products during transportation pollutes the transportation lines, sewages, and surface waters, which can have s...
View projectRetrofit, Self-Contained, and Smart Solar Ice Control System for Resilient Infrastructure (active)
Project Description: The proposed project herein will implement a micro-radiant heating system (MRHS) as a retrofit layer on the surface of existing concrete pavement. The technology will utilize a combination solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system and novel thermally active materials to keep sur...
View projectBiomechanics-Informed Pavement Guidelines for Safe Walking Surfaces (active)
Project Description: The goal of this project is to develop data-driven pavement design parameters for optimum walking safety using human-centered biomechanical modeling and analyses. While this work will benefit all stakeholders of walkable communities, it has relevance for older adults with eleva...
View projectSorption, Leachability, and Transport of AFFF Impacted Concrete Materials (active)
Project Description: The mobility and subsequent release of PFAS within concrete structures has been identified as an immediate concern by air and maritime transportation industrial entities, however, very little is known about the rates of ingress and egress of PFAS. Identifying the rates of sorpt...
View projectNeighborhood Walkability and Cardiometabolic Disease in Central TX (concluded)
Project Description: The term walkability refers to a measure of how conducive the built environment is to walking and can be used to predict levels of human physical activity and active travel (Frank et al., 2006) Walkability is increasingly valued for two major reasons. Firstly, walking substanti...
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