Faculty and students from the William and Barbara Leonard Transportation Center (LTC) at Cal State San Bernardino recently visited the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA), touring the agency's operations and exploring new opportunities for research collaboration, workforce development and student training in the transportation sector.

Led by Yunfei Hou, LTC director, the visit included CSUSB faculty members Nima Molavi, Sepideh Alavi and Bilal Khan, along with Yongping Zhang of Cal Poly Pomona and six CSUSB students. The group was hosted by Philip Chu, deputy director of Express Lanes at SBCTA, and Jillian Peterson, management analyst at SBCTA.

As part of the visit, the delegation toured the California Department of Transportation's (Caltrans) Transportation Management Center in Fontana, where operators monitor and manage regional traffic conditions in real time. They also traveled along the Interstate 10 Express Lanes corridor, gaining firsthand insight into the technology, operations and infrastructure that support one of the region's major transportation systems.

The experience provided students with a behind-the-scenes look at transportation management while exposing faculty to emerging technologies and operational strategies that could inform future research and classroom instruction.

During the visit, Chu shared an overview of SBCTA's existing and planned express lanes projects throughout the Inland Empire and highlighted the advanced systems used to operate and manage the toll corridors. Discussions focused on several potential areas for collaboration, including computer vision-based artificial intelligence tools to detect high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane violations and optimizing dynamic pricing algorithms to improve traffic flow and system efficiency.

The June 18 tour also offered practical information for drivers who use the SB Express Lanes. To receive eligible discounts, motorists must have both a FasTrak account and a properly mounted transponder. Drivers seeking carpool discounts must use a FasTrak Flex® switchable transponder, which allows users to indicate the number of passengers in the vehicle.

"Transportation and logistics are at the heart of the Inland Empire's economy, and the Jack H. Brown College is committed to supporting research that helps our region move more efficiently, sustainably and safely," said Tomás Gómez-Arias, dean of the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration, where the LTC is housed. "Partnerships like this one with SBCTA give our faculty and students the opportunity to work on problems that matter and to translate their work into real impact for the communities we serve. We are proud to support the Leonard Transportation Center in advancing this important work."

The visit reflects the Leonard Transportation Center's commitment to connecting academic research with real-world transportation challenges while creating meaningful opportunities for students to engage directly with industry and public-sector partners. As the partnership with SBCTA continues to grow, both organizations aim to advance innovative transportation solutions that benefit the Inland Empire and prepare the next generation of transportation professionals.