Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center

What Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center does

Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center (TIDC) is a university transportation research center established in 2018 and hosted by the University of Maine's Advanced Structures & Composites Center (ASCC). The center operates under three federal research programs: the US DOT Region 1 (New England) FAST Act University Transportation Center designation, Federal Highway Administration funded durability studies, and the U.S. DOT ARPA-I funded X-BRIDGE Program. TIDC's core work focuses on extending the service life and durability of transportation assets through structural health monitoring, non-destructive testing, ground improvement techniques, and sustainable construction materials. Active research streams include fiber optic sensing (OFDR/BOTDR) deployed on bridges, ground-penetrating radar and synthetic aperture radar for concrete crack detection, processed glass aggregate as a sand substitute, biopolymer soil stabilizers, soil carbonation for subgrade improvement, and a patent-pending Collar Vane helical pile technology co-developed with Hubbell Power System.

TIDC aggregates graduate research and faculty from six New England partner universities (University of Maine, University of Vermont, University of Massachusetts Lowell, University of Connecticut, Western New England University, and University of Rhode Island) and works directly with all six New England state Departments of Transportation on research priorities, technology transfer, and implementation of findings. Key industry partners include Hubbell Power System (helical pile research), CSX Transportation (railroad bridge health monitoring), and the NSF Team TERRA graduate research training program. The center does not commercialize products; instead it disseminates findings through an annual Transportation Infrastructure Durability Conference, the New England Railroad Symposium, recurring workshops and webinars, an annual Student Poster Contest, and direct collaboration with state DOT practitioners.

Funding is derived entirely from federal transportation grants rather than commercial revenue, with operations anchored at 35 Flagstaff Road in Orono, Maine and a team of 11-50 employees plus graduate researchers across the consortium. The center's revenue mechanics depend on continued federal authorization and appropriations for the FAST Act UTC program and successor legislation, with supplemental grants from FHWA and ARPA-I providing program expansion. As a federally designated and grant-funded entity, TIDC's customer base is functionally the U.S. DOT and its sub-agencies, with the six New England state DOTs acting as primary research collaborators and end-users of TIDC-developed methods and standards.

Name

Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center

Legal name

Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center

Website

https://tidc-utc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TIDC is a federally-designated University Transportation Center at the University of Maine that conducts durability research on transportation infrastructure for the six New England state DOTs. It develops structural health monitoring, non-destructive testing, ground improvement, and sustainable materials across a six-university consortium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transportation Infrastructure Research

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Other Support Activities for Transportation (4889)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Transportation & Infrastructure Planning (BPAHAKAF)

Keywords

• Transportation infrastructure research
• Infrastructure durability studies
• University transportation center
• Structural health monitoring
• Transportation asset durability

Headquarters

HQ city

Orono

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Grants: TIDC receives funding from multiple U.S. Department of Transportation programs including the 2018 FAST Act University Transportation Center grant for Region 1 (New England), Federal Highway Administration funded durability studies, and ARPA-I funded X-BRIDGE Program. As a research center, operations are funded through these government grants rather than commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center (TIDC) is a university transportation research consortium hosted by the University of Maine's Advanced Structures & Composites Center that conducts applied research to extend the life and improve the durability of transportation assets. It operates three federally funded research programs — the 2018 FAST Act Region 1 University Transportation Center, the FHWA Durability Studies Program, and the US DOT ARPA-I X-BRIDGE Program — collaborating with six New England partner universities and the six New England state Departments of Transportation. The center disseminates research findings through annual conferences, railroad symposiums, workshops, webinars, and student poster contests.

Product overview

The Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center (TIDC) is an academic research consortium hosted by the University of Maine's Advanced Structures & Composites Center. TIDC encompasses three research programs: the 2018 US DOT Region 1 (New England) FAST Act University Transportation Center (UTC), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Funded Durability Studies Program, and the U.S. Department of Transportation ARPA-I funded X-BRIDGE Program. TIDC's offerings include an annual Transportation Infrastructure Durability Conference, the New England Railroad Symposium, workshops and webinars on transportation infrastructure topics, and an annual Student Poster Contest. The center collaborates with six partner universities within the New England Region and the six New England DOTs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transportation Infrastructure Durability Conference
• New England Railroad Symposium
• TIDC Workshops and Webinars
• Student Poster Contest

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Maine Advanced Structures & Composites Center (ASCC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018TIDC is based at the University of Maine Advanced Structures & Composites Center, which serves as the host institution. ASCC provides laboratory facilities, research expertise, and administrative infrastructure for TIDC operations.
• University of VermontcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018One of six partner universities in the TIDC consortium. University of Vermont contributes research expertise in geotechnical engineering, concrete materials, and transportation systems.
• University of Massachusetts LowellcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partner university contributing research in structural engineering, non-destructive testing, fiber optic sensing, and structural health monitoring.
• University of ConnecticutcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partner university with research focus on structural engineering, statistics, mechanical engineering, and infrastructure resilience.
• Western New England UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partner university contributing research in cementitious materials and structural engineering.
• University of Rhode IslandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partner university contributing research in environmental engineering, stormwater management, and civil infrastructure.
• Six New England State Departments of TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018All six New England state DOTs (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut) collaborate with TIDC on research priorities, technology transfer, and implementation of findings.
• Hubbell Power SystemcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration on development and testing of patent-pending Collar Vane technology for helical piles. Full-scale lateral and torsional load tests conducted on instrumented helical piles in partnership with Hubbell.
• CSX TransportationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in bridge health monitoring research, contributing expertise in railroad infrastructure assessment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mid-Atlantic Universities Transportation Center (MAUTC): Region 3 FAST Act UTC consortium of universities (led by University of Maryland and Penn State) serving mid-Atlantic state DOTs. Directly comparable multi-university UTC structure, federal grant funding model, and DOT-collaboration orientation.
• Center for Advanced Multimodal Mobility Solutions and Education (CAMMSE): FAST Act UTC consortium led by UNC Charlotte with multimodal mobility and infrastructure research. Comparable federally-funded UTC consortium serving state DOTs.
• Mountain-Plains Consortium (MPC): Region 8 FAST Act UTC led by North Dakota State University, a multi-university UTC serving Mountain-Plains state DOTs. Directly comparable multi-university UTC consortium with federal-grant-driven research model.
• Mid-America Transportation Center (MATC): UTC led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, serving central U.S. state DOTs. Comparable multi-university UTC consortium structure funded through the federal UTC program.
• Transportation Consortium of South-Central States (Tran-SET): Region 6 FAST Act UTC led by Louisiana State University, a consortium focused on durable and resilient transportation infrastructure. Closely comparable in durability-focused research orientation and multi-university UTC structure.
• University Transportation Research Center (UTRC) — Region 2: Region 2 FAST Act UTC housed at The City College of New York, with a parallel consortium-university structure serving state DOTs. Directly comparable as a federally-designated UTC performing transportation research across a multi-state region.
• Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium (PacTrans): Region 10 FAST Act UTC led by the University of Washington, a multi-university consortium serving Pacific Northwest state DOTs. Directly comparable UTC operating model and infrastructure focus.
• Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety (CTIS): UTC at Missouri S&T focused on transportation infrastructure safety and durability. Comparable as a university-based transportation durability/safety research center funded through the federal UTC program.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global engineering and infrastructure services firm with a large transportation practice serving state DOTs on durability, asset management, and design. Comparable in end-customer base (state DOTs) and infrastructure-durability domain, though as a broad commercial incumbent rather than a research-focused UTC.
• WSP USA: Global professional services firm with a major transportation and infrastructure advisory practice working with state DOTs on asset management, bridge health monitoring, and infrastructure planning. Comparable DOT-customer overlap and infrastructure-durability focus, but at far larger scale and as a commercial incumbent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TIDCatUMaine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCimTO-44wrniqXx4_AXnLGA
• Facebookfacebook.com/TIDCatUMaine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/transportation-infrastructure-durability-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/tidcatumaine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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