January 20: Kaptur Announces Transportation Awards for the University of Toledo

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur announced two awards for the University of Toledo University Transportation Center (UTC) from the U.S. Department of Transportation as part of a larger grant of $77 million awarded to several consortia of UTCs for transportation research and education.

Kaptur was responsible for adding the University of Toledo to the SAFETEA-LU Act of 2005 as a University Transportation Center. "The University of Toledo has again demonstrated its national leadership in the transportation community, said Kaptur."

"I am so delighted that the University competed for and was awarded these two prestigious grants. It will advance the University to the cutting edge of innovation as our nation develops transportation systems for the 21st Century and beyond," Kaptur said.

University of Toledo President Lloyd Jacobs was pleased to hear the announcement: "Rich Martinko [the University of Toledo UTC director] and his university team have done a tremendous job to maximize the value of our transportation resources in Northwest Ohio. We are again indebted to Congresswoman Kaptur."

Each consortium of universities will receive approximately $3.5 million to focus on the nation's freight systems, in particular studying truck, rail, waterway, air, and multimodal freight planning, management, and operations. Since the University of Toledo participates in two consortia, the University of Toledo will have access to grants in both consortia led by the University of Wisconsin and San Jose University. The universities will work together to determine how the funds will be distributed.

Kaptur noted that Bowling Green State University will also receive a portion of the $3.5 million grant through the San Jose University consortium.