{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://pallone.house.gov/press-release/rep-pallone-sen-menendez-announce-28-million-federal-grant-rutgers-universitys-center", "Rep. Pallone, Sen. Menendez Announce $2.8 Million Federal Grant to Rutgers University's Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation", "2013-09-24", "2013", "2013-09", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Frank Pallone", "P000034", "pallone.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (both D-NJ) today announced a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) grant award of $2,828,200 to Rutgers University\u2019s Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT).\n\u201cNew Jersey\u2019s transportation infrastructure is critical to our economy and our daily lives, and Rutgers University\u2019s Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation helps us make the most of our existing infrastructure while educating the next generation of transportation professionals and developing new technologies for the future,\u201d said Senator Menendez. \u201cAs the federal budget has become tighter, the competition for these grant dollars has intensified and it is a real credit to the quality of Rutgers University\u2019s program that these federal resources continue to be provided to New Jersey.\u201d\n\u201cInfrastructure across the country is in need of modernization.\u00a0 Rutgers University\u2019s Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation uses innovative technologies that lead to faster construction and longer-lasting, efficient and safe highways and bridges.\u00a0 In a state as densely populated as New Jersey, infrastructure investment and more efficient transportation construction are critical to keeping us moving,\u201d said Congressman Pallone.\n\u201cCAIT is proud that USDOT has recognized the research program we\u2019ve been building for more than 15 years. This is CAIT\u2019s fourth University Transportation Center (UTC) competition, but the first time we\u2019ve reached National UTC status,\u201d said CAIT Director Ali Maher, Ph.D.\n\u201cThis award is an opportunity for us to transform our efforts\u2014which to date have largely been on a local, state, or regional level\u2014into a truly national platform that will encourage and facilitate seamless integration among agencies, industry, and universities across the country. In theory that sounds simple, but in practice it\u2019s very challenging. Our first step toward this collaborative vision was gathering a group of previously fragmented individual centers of excellence into a consortium that leverages its collective resources to turn out the kind of practical research that can be applied and have an impact in the real world\u2014right here, right now. Our primary concern is to address pressing infrastructure issues that affect people\u2019s everyday lives. Whether it\u2019s increasing safety, reducing congestion, improving the environment, finding a better way to fix a bridge, or developing tools that ensure money invested in infrastructure yields maximum benefits\u2014all these things are directly tied to a healthy economy and good quality of life. CAIT has always concentrated on identifying area-specific needs for real stakeholders facing real challenges and offered insight or solutions that have an immediate effect on the operation and management of bridges, roads, ports, energy and water networks, and so forth. We will continue to do that, but now we\u2019re going to take it to the next level and find new ways we can contribute to making this country\u2019s infrastructure better and stronger.\u201d\nRutgers University\u2019s CAIT program, located in Piscataway, N.J., helps develop safer, more durable, and more efficient infrastructure and transportation systems.\nCLICK HERE for more information about Rutgers\u2019 CAIT program.\nCAIT is one of only five National University Transportation Centers (UTCs), an elite group of academic research institutions that are sanctioned and supported by the USDOT. National UTCs are internationally recognized as the United States' premier university-based centers of excellence for transportation research. They serve as a vital source of infrastructure solutions and transportation professionals who are prepared to meet the nation\u2019s need for safe, efficient and environmentally sound movement of people and goods.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://pallone.house.gov/press-release/rep-pallone-sen-menendez-announce-28-million-federal-grant-rutgers-universitys-center"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.6246279012411833, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}