Highway Research Center marks 40 years of engineering innovation and statewide impact
Published: Nov 14, 2025 10:00 AM
By Dustin Duncan
For four decades, the Highway Research Center (HRC) has shaped the future of transportation in Alabama and across the nation. The center develops stronger bridges, safer highways and sustainable construction methods while training the next generation of civil engineers.
Housed within the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and part of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering since 1985, the HRC’s mission is to improve Alabama’s transportation systems, making them safer, more efficient, more durable and more resilient
“Transportation is the foundation for much of Alabama’s development,” said Anton Schindler, HRC director and Mountain Spirit Professor of civil and environmental engineering. “We focus on building safer, more efficient highways and bridges. By applying sound engineering principles, we design transportation systems that improve the quality of life across our state and nation.”
Since its founding, the center has partnered with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to meet the state’s infrastructure needs through applied transportation research and field implementation. Many of the center’s key achievements — from developing bridge design methods to implementing new materials and effective stormwater systems — have resulted from this long-standing partnership, which Schindler said has been essential to the HRC’s success.
“On behalf of the HRC, we thank ALDOT for more than 40 years of collaboration,” he said. “Their support has made our research both possible and impactful across Alabama.”
In addition to ALDOT, the HRC partners with the U.S. Department of Transportation, other state agencies and universities across the country.
Students working within the HRC gain hands-on experience through applied research projects, collaborating with faculty and using state-of-the-art facilities such as the Stormwater Research Facility and the Advanced Structural Engineering Laboratory (ASEL).
Each year, the HRC awards the Buddy Cox Graduate Scholarship, honoring a U.S. Air Force veteran, Auburn alumnus and longtime ALDOT engineer and supports graduate students who present research at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., helping them share their work and connect with transportation leaders nationwide.
Workforce development is also central to the HRC’s mission. The center partners with contractors, inspectors and public works professionals to help them stay current with industry standards. Training programs — including commercial driver’s license instruction offered in partnership with community colleges — ensure Alabama maintains a skilled workforce.
The HRC also leads research in stormwater management, bridge engineering, geotechnical engineering, construction management, materials engineering, traffic operations and roadway design, all focused on reducing environmental impacts and improving safety and efficiency.
“Our research doesn’t stop at the lab,” Schindler said. “It goes directly into the field — into the bridges people drive over, the stormwater systems that protect our streams and the roads that connect Alabama’s communities.”
In 2025, the HRC organized the technical program for the 68th Alabama Transportation Conference, welcoming nearly 1,000 transportation professionals to exchange innovations and strengthen collaboration among engineers, contractors and public agencies.
“We’re civil and environmental engineers by nature,” Schindler said. “By applying practical, sound engineering principles, we build transportation systems that improve lives.”
From left, Anton Schindler, director of the Highway Research Center, David Timm, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Corie McConnell, academic services administrator and Katie Falls, academic program administrator celebrate the 40-year anniversary of the Highway Research Center in the Harbert Center in late October.
