Sponsors

Because of the broad reach of ORITE’s expertise, sponsorship and partnership encompasses federal, state, and local government agencies as well as private industry to help improve the overall sustainability, safety and environmental health of transportation systems and infrastructure.

A major benefit our sponsors have enjoyed is tremendous cost savings - often of taxpayer funds – on infrastructure construction, repair, and maintenance.

Based on results from an ORITE study showing that drainable bases were not worth the added cost, the Ohio Department of Transportation saved $22 million in construction costs during the 5 years it took for the rest of the country to come to the same conclusion. Another ORITE study showed the viability of using a deeply buried multi-plate steel culvert as a bridge substitute in Meigs County at a cost of $1.5 million, a savings of over $3 million from what a bridge would have cost. ORITE’s human factors laboratory conducted two studies on unlighted overhead guide signs, demonstrating their potential to save the state considerable money in reduced electricity and maintenance costs.

Sponsors have included among others: state DOTs, FHWA, NSF, ODNR, OEPA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, universities and the private sector. For more information, contact ORITE at 740.593.1465.

How to Become a Sponsor

Research partners are some of the most critical resources for infrastructure investment, including state and federal transportation and highway agencies and private construction firms. For more information about sponsored research with ORITE, contact Director Gayle Mitchell at 740.593.1470.

Highlights of Sponsor Partnerships

ORITE and the Department of Civil Engineering at Ohio University have had a very strong history of research and educational partnerships over the last 20 years. Faculty members collaborate both internally and externally with faculty from other departments at Ohio University and with faculty at other colleges and universities, and also with colleagues in government and the private sector.

Some highlights of our sponsor partnerships include:

• ORITE was selected by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to develop the instrumentation plan and to coordinate the data collection and analysis by six universities at the Ohio SHRP Test Road.
• ORITE has led several national pooled fund studies involving participation and funding by departments of transportations from multiple states.
• ORITE has partnered with the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to improve infrastructure development and maintenance in Afghanistan.
• ORITE periodically participates in pavement evaluation projects conducted for the ODOT Field Districts when the necessary technology is not available in the private sector.
• ORITE periodically participates in geotechnical evaluation projects conducted for consulting companies when the necessary technology is not available from the private sector.
• ORITE has conducted and is currently conducting research projects for the New York State Department of Transportation.
• ORITE provides expertise to industry partners in Ohio and elsewhere. In particular there has been long-standing interaction with thermoplastic pipe industry manufacturers such as ADS, Inc. ORITE has also worked with the metals mining industry overseas.
• ORITE has conducted research on acid mine drainage for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
• ORITE has periodically conducted joint research projects with several universities throughout Ohio.
• ORITE conducted training for engineering faculty from the University of Anbar in Iraq in November 2010 on topics related to ABET accreditation and curriculum.
• ORITE and the Ohio University Civil Engineering Department have established several international partnerships with engineering departments in other universities, including: Kasetsart University in Thailand, UNI in Nicaragua, Kabul University in Afghanistan, and the University of Anbar in Iraq.