Rowan University’s role as a leader in transportation innovation has been further solidified with a new round of state funding. New Jersey Assembly Members Heather Simmons and Dave Bailey Jr. (D-3) visited the South Jersey Technology Park on Thursday to present a ceremonial $1 million check to the university, a direct investment in the Center for Research & Education in Advanced Transportation Engineering Systems (CREATES).
Part of Rowan’s Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, CREATES is a hub for developing cutting-edge solutions for transportation infrastructure. The center’s research is funded by federal, state, and local governments, and it focuses on creating resilient, efficient, and sustainable transportation systems.
One of CREATES’ most significant assets is its Accelerated Pavement Testing Facility. This unique facility allows researchers to simulate decades of heavy traffic conditions in a matter of months, making it the only academic institution in the Northeast with this testing capacity. This capability enables rapid evaluation of new materials, pavement designs, and construction techniques, speeding up the process of bringing innovations to market.
For more than a decade, the state of New Jersey has provided consistent and significant funding to support CREATES’ research. This long-standing partnership has yielded numerous publications and advancements in the field. Since 2015, the center has produced research on a wide range of topics, including deicing runways, increasing the use of recycled asphalt and highly elastic binders in pavements, and developing resilient pavement systems for cold regions. CREATES also conducts important transportation studies for the state on topics such as safety belts, school bus crashes, and mass transit use.
The new funding will allow CREATES to continue its vital research, which not only advances engineering but also directly contributes to improving the safety and sustainability of New Jersey’s transportation infrastructure.
