University Of Michigan Students Win National Transportation Technology Competition
(CBS DETROIT) - A student team from the University of Michigan was announced as the winners of the second annual Transportation Technology Tournament by the National Operations Center of Excellence. The team's presentation on a solution to reduce congestion on I-75 and I-696 in Metro Detroit was selected as the winner by a panel of private and public sector judges. The tournament was held during the Institute of Transportation Engineers Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.
The winning presentation, Corridor Management in the I-75/I-696 Influence Area, focused on mitigating heavy, peak-hour traffic volumes on I-75 between Detroit and Troy and on I-696 in Oakland and Macomb counties. The team's proposal included a supply-focused solution to managing the flow of vehicles and a demand-focused solution to reduce car trips by using shuttles and carpooling to the area's major employers.
The U-M team was among five finalists in the tournament, including teams from Florida International University, the University of Tennessee (Knoxville), and two teams from the University of South Florida.
"Innovation and imagination are key to solving 21st century transportation problems, especially in this time of limited resources for all road agencies," said State Transportation Director Paul C. Ajegba. "I want to commend these students on their vision and ingenuity in tackling two of the most congested freeways in Michigan. I also congratulate the other finalists for the quality work they presented. These are the kinds of future transportation professionals this country will be depending on in the decades to come."
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