U.S. Department of Transportation Awards Hampton University $250,000 For Transportation Center

Hampton, VA - The U. S. Department of Transportation awarded Hampton University $250,000 to initiate a University Transportation Center in 2005. This initial funding is part of a broader project sponsored by Congressman Robert Scott.

The Eastern Seaboard Intermodal Transportation Applications Center (ESITAC) will utilize the resources of the University in partnership with state and city governments, local transit companies, transportation industries, and regional universities to advance U.S. technology and expertise in transportation through the mechanisms of research and technology transfer.

The ESITAC will be ideally located at the center of Hampton Roads -- a nationally strategic Mid-Atlantic location with air, motor, rail, and water modes of transportation -- facilitating business around the region and access to two-thirds of the U.S. population.

According to Dr. Kelwyn D’Souza, professor of business management and principal investigator, the Center will make Hampton University a nationally recognized leader in transportation research and in the development of a diverse transportation workforce, which will lead and serve the nation’s vital transportation industry.

The Center will also serve as a resource to governmental and transportation organizations in the region, providing faculty expertise to work on the region’s current transportation problems.

 “I believe with the recognition of the transportation crisis and with the continued support and leadership by Congressman Robert Scott, Senator John Warner and Senator George Allen, Hampton University will continue to play and important role in the development of a strategic plan for the is region,” said Bill Thomas, HU’s director of governmental relations.