Charting the Course: Understanding the Interconnected Challenges in Rural Transportation Infrastructure Across Washington State

Rural transportation infrastructure plays a pivotal role in sustaining economic development, enhancing quality of life, and fostering social cohesion in remote areas. However, a myriad of interconnected challenges severely impedes its efficiency and accessibility, posing significant obstacles to regional growth and connectivity. Addressing these interconnected challenges demands a systems-aware approach that informs ways to integrate sustainable funding mechanisms, innovative technology solutions, and collaborative governance and policy frameworks. The proposed study uses a mixed-method participatory systems modeling approach to identify, map, and structurally analyze the factors influencing the sustainable, effective, and equitable provision of rural transportation infrastructure in the state of Washington. The key research thrust rests on the need to map and structurally analyze the interconnected challenges impacting rural transportation infrastructure in Washington State. The related and overarching objectives of our research are: (1) identify the core transportation challenges impacting rural communities in Washington State, (2) map the interactions that exist between the challenges as an interconnected system, and (3) use this map of challenges to propose areas for future research and action that have the potential for cascading impacts.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $98,258.19
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348321

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Florida A&M University, Tallahassee

  404 Foote/Hilyer
  Tallahassee, FL  United States  32307
• Project Managers:

  Moses, Ren

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Washington Tacoma

  1900 Commerce Street
  Tacoma, Washington  United States 
• Principal Investigators:

  Walters, Jeffrey P.

  Kitali, Angela

  Dillon, Heather

  Kalambay, Panick

• Start Date: 20240901
• Expected Completion Date: 20251231
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Infrastructure; Rural highways; Rural transportation
• Geographic Terms: Washington (State)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01945642
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Rural Equitable and Accessible Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348321
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Feb 12 2025 5:58PM