The Delaware Center for Transportation at the University of Delaware has announced a change in leadership, effective July 1. Ardeshir Faghri, professor of civil and environmental engineering who has led the center since 1999, is stepping down, and Chris Meehan, Bentley Systems Inc. Chaired Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will take over as director.

DCT’s primary goal is to serve as a resource to the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), other state DOT’s, local transportation agencies and transportation-related federal organizations. Through collaboration between policy scientists and civil and environmental engineers, the center supports research, development and educational activities to address transportation needs.

“Transportation plays a vital role in this age of information technology and a global community, and top-quality transportation research and education cannot be provided in isolation,” says Faghri.

“At DCT, we maintain a continuous partnership with all the parties involved in transportation. We also strive to integrate all transportation-relevant research and education at the University with the ongoing activities of the center, so that our undergraduate and graduate students, as well as transportation professionals, can take advantage of what we have to offer in a mutually helpful environment.”

Meehan’s research interests include soil mechanics and soil shear behavior, slope stability, foundation engineering, soil-structure interaction, soil and site improvement, and design of levee systems.

He has two current DCT projects, one focused on monitoring of a geosynthetic reinforced soil integrated bridge system in Delaware and the other on pile downdrag issues for bridge design.

About DCT

DCT initiatives include research, education, technology transfer, a distinguished guest speaker series, technical assistance, industrial collaboration and private partnerships, and global research.

Current research projects are focused on a broad range of topics, including bridge health monitoring, traffic data analysis and evaluation, bridge design, and passenger and rail service support.

The center is home to the Richard E. Hangen ITS Laboratory, which functions as a service and training facility for DelDOT, supports the undergraduate and graduate transportation engineering curriculum and serves as a research facility for University faculty and students.