FIU, MDX form partnership to improve transportation in region

MIAMI – Florida International University announced today that it has signed an agreement with the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) to provide options to reduce traffic bottlenecks in Miami-Dade County.

Funded with up to $500,000 from MDX, FIU’s Lehman Center for Transportation Research will focus on the development of an advanced bus rapid transit system along State Road 836 (Dolphin Expressway) and propose how to build various Advanced Transit Oriented Developments (Advanced TODs) where Advanced Transit Stops (ATS) can be located, including adjacent to FIU’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus, the FIU Engineering Center and the Miami International Airport/Miami Intermodal Center.

The partnership will later  focus on advanced bus rapid transit; intelligent highway systems; bridges and ramps; computer systems that can improve traffic by modeling and predicting the movements of cars, trucks, bicycles, pedestrians, transit, and rail; and advanced intermodal and community access systems that provide seamless connectivity between significant destinations and the different modes of transportation.

The agreement will involve several of FIU’s colleges, schools and centers. Research efforts will be led by the College of Engineering and Computing’s Lehman Center for Transportation Research and will include the School of Architecture, the College of Business Administration and several departments within the College of Engineering and Computing. The partnership is part of FIU’s ongoing efforts to become a hub for transportation research and multimodal transportation policy development. FIU also is seeking a federal University Transportation Center designation from Congress and is in the process of securing other partnerships that will help fund its transportation research and support advanced transportation system implementation efforts.

“This initiative is an excellent example of the power of partnership to address community issues and improve the quality of life in Miami Dade County” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg.   “Our research faculty and students will work collaboratively with MDX specialists to establish a major transportation think tank that is long overdue in our community.” 

MDX Executive Director Javier Rodriguez said the partnership would lead to transportation solutions for Miami-Dade County.

“MDX is pleased to engage the FIU Lehman Center for Transportation Research in helping to identify and develop these cutting edge transportation systems that will help us deliver to the citizens of Miami-Dade County a state-of-the-practice multimodal transportation system,” he said.

 —FIU—

 About MDX:
MDX is a state sanctioned, locally administered, public agency created in 1994 by the State of Florida and the Board of County Commissioners of Miami-Dade County. MDX is governed by its Board, comprised of 13 volunteer members appointed by the Board of County Commissioners and the Governor of the State of Florida. MDX oversees, operates and maintains five expressways: State Road 836 (Dolphin Expressway), State Road 112 (Airport Expressway), State Road 874 (Don Shula Expressway), State Road 878 (Snapper Creek Expressway), and State Road 924 (Gratigny Parkway). MDX is funded almost entirely by toll revenue and is dedicated to moving Miami-Dade County forward. For more information on MDX visit the website at www.mdxway.com.

About FIU:
Florida International University was founded in 1965 and is Miami’s only public research university. With a student body of more than 38,000, its 17 colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. More than 100,000 FIU alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU has been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a “High Research Activity University”. In August 2009, FIU welcomed the inaugural class of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu.