University of Wisconsin Madison College of Engineering
Transportation infrastructure

Increasing population is straining the nation’s aging transportation infrastructure while funds to maintain and upgrade it have been limited.
The challenge to engineers is to provide safe, modern and reliable systems in a sustainable and cost effective way.
College of Engineering researchers are developing guidelines for city planners and engineers across the country so that fiscally responsible, neighborhood-level decisions can be made that reduce vehicular traffic and also improve public health.
We are experts in transportation asset management, ensuring that the best performance is captured from the operation and improvement of our infrastructure.
In an effort to conserve energy and reduce the environmental effects of building roads, we are studying new ways of modifying asphalt to develop new, more sustainable processes for producing the material.
Our structural engineers are creating and testing new materials in roads and bridges that make them last longer while costing less time and money to build. In the field and through advanced modeling and simulation, our experts are analyzing traffic operations and safety to make recommendations that save time, money and lives. As fuel prices increase, trains again are becoming an attractive method for moving freight and people across the country. The UW-Madison College of Engineering offers a comprehensive continuing education program in designing, building and maintaining railroads that are safe, efficient and consumer oriented.
We are home to the Mid-America Freight Coalition, an organization that focuses on planning, operating, preserving and improving freight transportation infrastructure and networks throughout the Midwest. We are also home to the Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education, a National University Transportation Research Center.

Transportation infrastructure news