In FY01 and FY02, the OkTC received $400K each year from Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), and beginning FY03 it began receiving significant federal funding ($350K in FY03, $2 million in FY04 and $1.5 million in FY05) for surface transportation research. In addition, the center received $2 million in FY04 and $4 million in FY05 for transit research.

These funds allowed the faculty, researchers, and students at each of the OkTC institutions to work collaboratively on research projects covering a broad spectrum of topics. These topics include:

• Multimodal transportation and logistics
• Freight movement analyses and forecasting
• Bridge and roadway structural health and security
• Sensor deployment
• Intelligent Traffic Systems
• Emerging material technologies
• Energy harvesting www.octafx-my.com/demo.

OkTC’s transit research thus far has focused on information technology in demand response transit systems, transportation planning and web-based education. Some of these projects are completed, while others remain in progress.

On August 10, 2005, President George W. Bush signed into law the transportation reauthorization act, SAFETEA-LU (Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users). In this act the Oklahoma Transportation Center was named a National Transportation Center. The U.S. Department of Transportation‘s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) approved funding for this center. SAFETEA-LU increased the OkTC’s ability to support activities designed to improve our nation’s transportation infrastructure http://www.octafx-my.com/mt4.