Rutgers CAIT: Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation

04/30/2026

New Jersey is on pace to build 45% more houses in the 2020s than were built in the 2010s, an emerging shift in long-term construction trends identified in the April 2026 Rutgers Regional Report published by CAIT.

From 2020 to 2024, the state produced nearly 180,000 housing units and experienced its strongest five-year production level since the 1980s. The study also examines where construction is concentrated in NJ, trends that can impact transportation and travel patterns across the nation’s most densely populated state.

The report was authored by James W. Hughes, a university professor and dean emeritus of Rutgers’ Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and Connie O. Hughes, former chief of management and policy in the New Jersey Office of the Governor.

Read more at the link below!

New Jersey is on pace to build about 45% more houses in the 2020s than were built in the 2010s, an emerging shift in long-term construction trends identified in the latest Rutgers Regional Report published this month.

04/10/2026

The 2026 Annual NJ Work Zone Safety Conference brought together 200+ transportation professionals on Wednesday to promote safety across New Jersey's roadways!

From Flagging 101 to using Artificial Intelligence to make work zones safer, leaders from across the state came together to discuss work zone safety needs, trends, and best practices in New Jersey.

The annual conference is hosted by Rutgers CAIT and the New Jersey Work Zone Safety Partnership, with support from the New Jersey DHTS, New Jersey Department of Transportation, and Federal Highway Administration.

01/21/2026

Submit an abstract today to participate in our mini-symposium on Advances in Digital Twins for Civil Infrastructure!

Rutgers CAIT will be co-hosting this session during the 2026 Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference this June in Boulder, Colorado. It will be lead by CAIT researcher Dr. Maurizio Morgese, in collaboration with Dr. Adriana Trias at Rowan University and Dr. Amirali Najafi at Texas A&M University.

The deadline for abstracts is January 31, 2026.

Learn more and apply below:
https://www.emi-conference.org/call-abstracts

12/09/2025

Rutgers CAIT has been awarded $13 million by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to lead a pilot project deploying six hydrogen-powered, heavy-duty trucks for drayage operations at Port Newark.

In partnership with PSEG, the Center for Transportation and the Environment, Hyundai Motor Company, The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Rutgers School of Engineering, and the Rutgers Office for Research, this initiative will test real-world performance of hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks and establish key benchmarks to guide future technology implementation.

Truck deployment will begin in early 2026.

This pilot project has the potential to enhance supply chain efficiency, invest in American infrastructure and jobs, and position New Jersey as a hub for advanced transportation technologies.

Learn more below!

Rutgers will deploy six green hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks at Port Newark for drayage operations. The Rutgers University Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT) in the School of Engineering is

08/15/2025

CAIT researcher Dr. Maurizio Morgese recently published a paper in Transportation Research Record that integrates predictive analytics, risk modeling, and multi-objective optimization into a scalable and data-driven framework for transportation Asset Investment Planning (AIP).

The paper stems from a pilot project with The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey that applied AIP framework to a set of 44 bridges considering a 20+ year planning horizon. Using historical inspection data and deterioration modeling, researchers developed performance forecasts for deck and joint elements incorporating risk indices and treatment strategies.

Learn more below!

Rutgers research provides a practical roadmap for modernizing transportation asset management and capital planning practices. Researchers at Rutgers CAIT led a pilot project with The Port Authority of New York

05/19/2025

CAIT's BEAST Lab was highlighted in this News 12 NJ story on innovative research happening at Rutgers University!

The Bridge Evaluation and Accelerated Structural Testing Lab (BEAST) is the world’s first accelerated testing facility for full-scale bridges. The BEAST subjects a 50 ft. bridge deck to extreme traffic loading and weather conditions to simulate decades of real-world deterioration in months instead of years.

This performance data gives asset managers the information needed to identify optimal preservation and rehabilitation techniques, materials, and management strategies much faster than traditional field monitoring, and can help transportation agencies save money on maintenance and repair costs.

Rutgers is home to over 300 research centers and institutes.

04/10/2025

Approximately 200 transportation and construction professionals convened at Rutgers yesterday for the annual NJ Work Zone Safety Conference!

Leaders from across the state came together to discuss work zone safety needs and best practices in New Jersey including the latest technology to prevent distracted driving, NJDOT's permit process, and safety on county and municipal roads. The 2025 Work Zone Safety Excellence Awards recognized the inspiring efforts of those that have demonstrated effective temporary traffic control in planned work zones in NJ.

The annual conference is hosted by Rutgers CAIT and the New Jersey Work Zone Safety Partnership, with support from the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, New Jersey Department of Transportation, and Federal Highway Administration.

04/07/2025

Dr. Peter J. Jin and Mr. Vijayant (VJ) Rajvanshi hosted visitors from the Big Ten Academic Alliance for a tour of the DataCity Smart Mobility Testing Ground on Friday.

A collaboration between Rutgers CAIT and Middlesex County NJ Government, DataCity is a living laboratory in downtown New Brunswick for collecting multi-modal smart-mobility data that is helping the region improve safety and congestion while establishing NJ as a hub for R&D in the growing autonomous vehicle industry.

The team showcased the unique capabilities of DataCity, including an overview of the self-driving grade sensing, computing, and communication technologies deployed at 13 roadside locations along the multi-mile corridor.

Learn more about DataCity below!

https://www.middlesexcountynj.gov/government/departments/department-of-transportation/data-city

03/24/2025

Rutgers CAIT was recently awarded the NCHRP Project 9-72, “Sensitivity Evaluation of Balanced Mix Design Performance Tests.”

Dr. Thomas Bennert from CAIT will lead the study as PI with Drs. Walaa Mogawer of University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and Ramon Bonaquist of Advanced Asphalt Technologies serving as Co-PI’s on the project. Dr. Don Christensen of Advanced Asphalt Technologies will also be providing technical support on the project.

We wish them good luck and success!

Balanced mix design (BMD) of asphalt mixtures is an approach that addresses different modes of distress through performance tests on conditioned specimens that consider mix aging, traffic, climate, and location within the pavement structure. Results of these performance tests are expected to reflect...

12/02/2024

The performance of lifeline infrastructure after a natural hazard depends on multiple factors. Rapid recovery or uninterrupted operation can minimize downtime, decrease repair costs, and lessen overall economic burden.

Join us this Friday for a webinar on Functional Recovery as a bridge to resilient transportation systems, presented in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Learn more and register below!

A Methodology to Support Decisions for Life-Cycle Investment Planning and Enhancement of Performance and Recovery Times The performance of lifeline infrastructure and buildings, as well