Professor Khaled Ksaibati and engineering student Kristan Debler conduct gradation testing on aggregate from a gravel road in Teton County.
What does the University of Wyoming have to do with a small dirt road on the opposite side of the state, or the variable speed limits on Interstate 80, or the bridge repair in your local town? You may be surprised to learn that wherever you drive in Wyoming, you’re likely to encounter roadways, bridges and work zones that are safer and more efficient thanks to the Wyoming Technology Transfer Center, which is sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration in cooperation with UW, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT), and Wyoming cities and counties.
The center is housed within UW’s College of Engineering and Applied Science. “The Wyoming Technology Transfer Center has been in existence for over 20 years,” says Director Khaled Ksaibati. He explains that partnerships are key to the center’s success: “We have to all work together at the different levels—the federal, the state, the local and the university because of the technology we have at the university. By all working together, we can come up with the most efficient transportation system.”
“The Wyoming Department of Transportation and UW’s Technology Transfer Center have enjoyed a longstanding working relationship,” says Gregg Fredrick, WYDOT chief engineer for engineering and planning. “Completed research, engineering studies and training continue to be effectively implemented in many of the local transportation agencies across the state. This synergy, fostered by Professor Ksaibati, has a positive effect on the safety of the local roadways. It provides local agencies access to highway technology and engineering knowledge that assists in the maintenance of their transportation infrastructure and enhances the local agencies’ expertise.”
Like many Wyoming counties, Sweetwater County has used the center to learn about dust control on county dirt roads, sign reflectivity compliance, speed limits, certifications and asset management for paved roads.
“Sweetwater County is very fortunate to have the Wyoming Technology Transfer Center available as a resource for many reasons,” says Sweetwater County Public Works Director John Radosevich. “The center provides a service to the state that is valuable to all residents in one way or another. The knowledge that is provided allows counties to make wise decisions in regard to transportation issues.”
“The main objective of the center is to do technology transfer for the transportation community in the state,” Ksaibati says. “We do lots of trainings around the state, and attendees include people from consulting agencies, contractors, WYDOT personnel, as well as road and bridge departments from cities, towns and counties. We want to make sure that our partners in the state are aware of the latest technology and that we help them through the implementation of that technology.”
Radosevich speaks to the center’s willingness to help in whatever local partners need. “Various organizations such as the Wyoming Association of County Engineers and Road Superintendents provide input and requests to the center in regard to topics needing further study, training opportunities needed for regulation compliance, data needed to substantiate requests for additional funding and information on new technology. These requests are processed by the center, and results translated back to the counties. If additional training workshops are required, the center provides them to all agencies and individuals requesting them.”
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