CTS at 40: Milestones Through Our History

Four decades ago, three transportation-minded University of Minnesota (UMN) professors had an idea. Panos Michalopoulos, Yorgos Stephanedes, and Raymond Sterling in the Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering (now Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering) proposed the creation of a technology-focused transportation center at the University after consulting with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and studying similar centers nationwide.

The proposal gained support from UMN leadership, which wanted to find more ways the University could apply research toward addressing problems throughout Minnesota.

At the state level, momentum was also growing as Minnesota received funds from a federal court judgment against the Exxon Corporation for overcharging customers for oil. MnDOT’s commissioner at the time, Richard “Dick” Braun, advocated with then-Governor Rudy Perpich to direct some of that money back to transportation. 

“Innovation is crucial for meeting future transportation needs, yet only rarely is innovation possible without extensive research. The future transportation system must be made more effective and efficient, yet only through research will the necessary tools be available to do so.” —Dick Braun

Perpich agreed and recommended that $2.75 million of the Exxon funds be used to help launch CTS. Braun was named the Center’s first director in 1986, and an interim advisory committee was formed to chart an initial course. With Braun’s leadership and expanded funding, the vision evolved into a broader, multidisciplinary center aimed at matching the caliber of the U.S.’s top university transportation centers. 

Additional financial support for CTS’s formation came from MnDOT and the Regional Transit Board. A second allocation of $2 million from the Exxon funds arrived in 1988, and three years later the Minnesota legislature approved operating funds for CTS through the state’s transportation bill. This partnership with the legislature remains a critical source of annual support for CTS research, education, and engagement.

Forty years later, CTS continues to shape transportation policy, infrastructure, and mobility across the state, region, and nation.

As part of the Center’s start-up work, an interim advisory committee recommended that CTS invite representatives from University of Minnesota (UMN) faculty, elected officials, state agencies, private industry, and other interest groups to help set a direction.

To that end, CTS established an advisory board, which included a subset of members from that group to serve on an executive committee. 

Ray Lappegaard, who had held leadership roles in both the public and private sectors in Minnesota, was named the first chair of the advisory board. (Each year, CTS presents the Ray L. Lappegaard Distinguished Service Award to a transportation professional displaying outstanding leadership, mentorship, and support to the profession.) The advisory board held its initial meeting in March 1989 to help define transportation issues and research needs, and later that spring CTS issued its first request for proposals to UMN researchers on topics identified by the board.

The executive committee further refined its committee structure in 1990 by establishing program councils focusing on the transportation-based topics of:

• Transportation and the economy
• Safety and traffic flow
• Infrastructure
• Environment
• Education
• Information and outreach

CTS continues with a similar governance structure today. The CTS Executive Committee provides strategic direction to staff and oversees the implementation of CTS programs. CTS Councils provide a forum for transportation professionals and researchers to exchange information on current issues and trends.

In support of the University of Minnesota’s wider public service role, CTS has developed a comprehensive outreach program to share information and provide opportunities for discussion between researchers and practitioners.

A cornerstone of CTS’s engagement work is its annual Transportation Research Conference. The first conference, held over two days in May 1990, featured more than 60 presentations on a wide range of topics and attracted more than 300 transportation professionals. Like today, attendees represented a wide cross section of the transportation field: departments of transportation; county, city, township, and tribal agencies; public works; private engineering firms; academia; advocacy; policymakers; and others.   

The CTS Transportation Research Conference, now a one-day event held annually in November on the University’s Twin Cities campus, continues to highlight new learning, emerging ideas, and the latest innovations in transportation while drawing renowned keynote speakers from across the nation. After pivoting to a virtual format during COVID-19, the event is once again held in person, with attendance climbing to among the highest levels in CTS history. 

CTS also holds an Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon in the spring to honor faculty researchers, transportation leaders, and student scholars. Awards recognize distinguished service and leadership in the transportation profession as well as an exemplary research partnership within the CTS program. The Research Partnership Award, named for former CTS Director Robert C. Johns, has been given to teams who have collaboratively drawn on their diverse expertise to significantly impact transportation. CTS Student Awards, which honor academic achievement and leadership, include financial awards. 

These annual events represent just two ways CTS convenes and champions transportation excellence in Minnesota and beyond.

A video-based vehicle detection system helped launch CTS as a national leader in transportation innovation. Conceived in the early days of the Center by a University of Minnesota (UMN) researcher, Autoscope is a technology that can replace underground loops and control systems with roadside cameras to detect vehicles in real-time traffic.

Developed with funding from CTS, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration, Autoscope was designed by Panos Michalopoulos—at the time a professor in the Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering—and his research team. The system is an early example of not only technology innovation at CTS but also innovation leading to marketable real-world solutions. 

Patented by the UMN in 1990 and commercialized in 1991, Autoscope has been incorporated into products sold and used worldwide. One such application: MnDOT’s ubiquitous highway traffic camera networks were built and extended based on Autoscope technology. Years after it was first commercialized, a share of the technology’s sales continue to support CTS research. This practice of marketing technology has since expanded dramatically with support from Technology Commercialization within the U’s Research and Innovation Office—CTS’s institutional home.

Around the same time that Autoscope helped propel CTS onto the national stage, the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Institute was launched within CTS, supported by funding from the federal transportation bill of 1991. The ITS Institute jump-started even more opportunities for innovation at CTS. It helped leverage federal funding for research aimed at improving the safety and mobility of road- and transit-based transportation, particularly with human-centered technology. In addition, CTS—through the ITS Institute—strengthened its role as a key research partner with MnDOT and its GuideStar program, an incubator for advanced transportation technologies.