LITTLE ROCK | December 12, 2022
The Arkansas Department of Transportation has announced award recipients for the Transportation-Related Research Workforce Development Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2023.
Act 705 of 2017 established the distribution of highway revenue interest income from the State Highway and Transportation Department Fund to create the Future Transportation Research Fund and the Transportation-Related Grant Program (TRRGP). Act 884 of 2021 added workforce development to the grant program, modifying the fund and program to the Future Transportation Research and Workforce Development Fund and Transportation-Related and Workforce Development Grant Program (TRRWDGP), respectively.
The purpose of the TRRWDGP is to support the study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions to provide resilient and sustainable logistics, processes, materials, and methods to ensure cost-effectiveness and the furtherance of education and economic development concerning all forms of transportation and support industry training, apprenticeship, and educational programs to foster skills required for transportation related personnel development.
Eligible recipients of funds are limited to publicly funded institutions of higher education. ARDOT awarded three TRRWDGP projects for a total of $615,100 for Fiscal Year 2023.
| Applicant | Project Description | Amount Awarded |
| University of Arkansas – Fort Smith | Determinants of Arkansas Transit Ridership and Transportation Expenditures | $ 117,410 |
| Arkansas State University | Sustainable Use of Rice Husk and Scrap Tires as Construction Materials of Transportation Infrastructures through Research, Education, and Workforce, and Economic Development of Arkansas | $ 197,690 |
| University of Arkansas Community College – Morrilton | Entry-Level Heavy Equipment Operator Training for Highway Construction | $ 300,000 |
| Total Awarded | $ 615,100 |
Contact: Ellen Coulter
NR 22-311
December 12, 2022