Transportation Research Center history

In 1986, as Honda was evaluating sites for a second auto plant and a local R&D center for product development, the State began conversations with Honda regarding the potential purchase of TRC and surrounding property.

CUTR was established by the Florida Legislature in 1988 as a result of the efforts of administrators of the USF College of Engineering and Senator Malcolm Beard, who served for 10 years as Chair of the Florida Senate Transportation Committee.

The partnership was formalized by a Memorandum of Understanding, dated October 12, 2000.

Brosch retired in 2001, and a search resulted in the appointment of Doctor Edward Mierzejewski as the second director.

In December 2015, Honda and Ohio State created a new Memorandum of Understanding to reaffirm their mutual commitment to strengthen the partnership and to create greater value and impact for each party.

In 2016, after an extensive national search, Doctor Robert L. Bertini joined USF as CUTR’s fourth director and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Doctor Amit Bhasin was named director in 2018.

In 2019, CUTR was designated as the National Institute for Congestion Reduction, the first national university transportation center (UTC) to be created in the state of Florida.

In 2021, CUTR appointed its fifth executive director, Doctor Fred Mannering, professor of transportation engineering with a background in statistical & econometric methods, highway safety, transportation economics, automobile demand, and travel behavior.