Nishantha Bandara received his Ph.D. from the University of South Florida. His specialization is in Transportation Engineering with an emphasis in pavement evaluation, analysis and design, pavement management, highway safety and highway materials. His research interests include highway construction quality measurement, pavement condition monitoring, pavement analysis/ design and highway infrastructure related safety improvements. Bandara is an active member of TRB Committee AHD65 “Winter Maintenance” and a former member of AFD80 “Strength and Deformation Characteristics of Pavement Sections”.

» Education

• University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla.
  Civil Engineering, Ph.D., 2000
• University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
  Civil Engineering, MSCE, 1997
• University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
  Civil Engineering, BS, 1994

» LTU Appointments 

• Director, Concrete Technology & Management Program (CTM), 2023 – Present
• Director, Lawrence Tech Transportation Institute, 2021 – Present
• Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, 2018 – Present
• Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering Department, 2012 – 2018

» Related Professional Activities & Experience 

• Engineer Manager Licensed 14, Michigan Department of Transportation, Metro Region Office, Southfield, Mich., June 2006 – August 2012
• Adjunct Professor, Wayne State University, Detroit, Mich., January 2007 – December 2009
• Project Engineer, Dynatest Consulting, Inc., Westland, Mich., September 2002 – June 2006
• Principal Engineer, Abatech, Inc., Blooming Glen, Penn., December 2001 – August 2002
• Adjunct Professor, University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla., September 2001 – December 2001
• Project Engineer, Professional Service Industries, Inc., Tampa, Fla., August 2000 – December 2001
• Teaching/ Research Assistant, University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla., September 1999 – July 2000
• Senior Research Engineer, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, August 1998 – August 1999
• Teaching/Research Assistant, University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla., January 1996 – July 1998
• Transportation Engineer, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, April 1996 – December 1995

» Professional Registrations

• Registered Professional Engineer (PE), Michigan Board of Professional Engineers, 2003.
• Panel Member – NCHRP Project 20-44 (37), Implementation of Performance Measures in Snow and Ice Control Operations (NCHRP 14-34)
• Member – Sigma XI the Scientific Research Honor Society
• Member – TRB Committee on Winter Maintenance (AHD65)
• Former Member – TRB Committee on Strength and Deformation Characteristics of Pavement Sections (AFD80)
• Member – Committee on Vehicle-Pavement Systems (E17), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
• Member – American Society of Civil Engineers

» Grants

1. Establish Policies and Procedures for Use of Subgrade Stabilization in Michigan (OR22-003), Funding Agency: Michigan Department of Transportation, Amount: $164,918, October 2021-September 2023
2. Rubber Modified Asphalt (RMA) Historical Performance Study, Funding Agency: Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), Amount: $4,250, September 2021 – November 2022
3. Reduction of pH Levels from Roadway Underdrain Outlets (OR17-205), Funding Agency: Michigan Department of Transportation, Amount: $169,010, May 2018-December 2020
4. A Mobile Wireless Sensor Network for Road Travel Safety in Intelligent Transportation Systems, with Kun Hua and James Mynderse, Amount $50,000, August 2015 – August 2016
5. Performance Evaluation of Subgrade Stabilization with Recycled Materials, Funding Agency: Michigan Department of Transportation, Amount: $213,518, April 2013-June 2016
6. Evaluating the use of Tow Plow in Michigan, Funding Agency: Michigan Department of Transportation, Amount: $186,661, April 2013-September 2016
7. Enhancing Michigan Climate Database for Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Designs, Funding Agency: Lawrence Technological University Faculty Seed Grant, Amount: $2,900, 1/31/2013-7/30/2013

» Awards

1. Consultant to Road Development Authority, Sri Lanka, Mechanistic Pavement Design System for Road Development Authority, Asian Development Bank, November 2020
2. Travel Grant to deliver a training course on mechanistic pavement design to Road Development Authority, Asian Development Bank, December 2019.
3. Travel Grant Award to attend Professor Training Course in Concrete Technology, PCA, Chicago, June 2018
4. Travel Grant to deliver a training course on AASHTO pavement design to Road Development Authority, Sri Lanka, Asian Development Bank, 2018
5. Presidential Bonus Award, Award for exemplary contributions to the strategic initiatives of Lawrence Technological University, Lawrence Technological University, February 2016
6. Travel Grant Award to attend Professor Training Course in Asphalt Technology, Auburn University, June 2015

Publications (Last Five Years)

» Books

Geotechnical Aspects of Pavement Engineering, N. Bandara and M. Gunaratne, Momentum Press, ISBN-13 978-1-60650-540-3 February 2018

» Peer-Reviewed Publications

1. Nishantha Bandara, Elin Jensen, and Stephen Sebesta, “State of the Practice of Chemically Stabilized Subgrades for Pavement Construction”, Transportation research Board Meeting, January 2024, Under Review.
2. Nishantha Bandara, Hiroshan Hettiarachchi, Elin Jensen, Tarik H. Binoy and Rohan Perera (2023). “Using Kiln Dust to Improve Weak Subgrades for Pavement Construction: A Field Verification in Michigan, USA, Geotechnics 2023, 3(2), 179-192; https://doi.org/10.3390/geotechnics3020011
3. Abdulla I. M. Almadi, Rabia Emhamed Al Mamlook, Irfan Ullah, Odey Alshboul, Nishantha Bandara &Ali Shehadeh, “Vehicle collisions analysis on highways based on multi-user driving simulator and multinomial logistic regression model on US highways in Michigan”, International Journal of Crashworthiness, Taylor and Francis, 2022
4. Abdulla. I. M. Almadi, Rabia Emhamed Al Mamlook, Yahya Almarhabi, Irfan Ullah, Arshad Jamal and Nishantha Bandara, (2022) “A Fuzzy-Logic Approach Based on Driver Decision-Making Behavior Modeling and Simulation”, Sustainability 2022, 14, x.
5. Bandara, N., Jensen, E.,” Use of Recycled Aggregate for Pavement Base and Subbase Construction”, ASCE International Conference on Transportation and Development 2022, Seattle, Washington, May 2022.
6. Aldossari, M, Bandara, N., “Efficacy of Implementing Automated Speed Enforcement and Red-light Cameras in Reducing Vehicle Crashes”, ASCE International Conference on Transportation and Development 2022, Seattle, Washington, May 2022.
7. Bandara, N., Hettiarachchi, H., Jensen, E. and Binoy, T. (2020) “Upcycling Potential of Industrial Waste in Soil Stabilization: Use of Kiln Dust and Fly Ash to Improve Weak Pavement Subgrades Encountered in Michigan, USA. Sustainability 12 (17), 7226. DOI: 10.3390/su12177226
8. N. Bandara, E. Jensen and T. Binoy, “Laboratory and Field Investigation of By-product Materials for Subgrade Stabilization, Transportation Research Board Meeting, January 2019.
9. N. Bandara, “Impacts of Winter Maintenance Strategies to Vehicle Travel Delay Costs”, XV International Winter Road Congress, Gdansk, Poland, February 2018.
10. N. Bandara, E. Jensen, “Cost-Benefit Analysis of using the Tow Plow for Winter Maintenance”, Transportation Research Board Meeting, January 2018.
11. N. Bandara, E. Jensen and T. Binoy, “Pavement Design Considerations for Subgrades Stabilized with Recycled Materials”, Tenth International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields, Athens, Greece, June 2017.

» Professional and Scientific Society Membership

• Member – TRB Committee on Strength and Deformation Characteristics of Pavement Sections, AFD80
• Member – American Society of Civil Engineers

» Professional Service

1. Editorial Board, Journal of South Asian Logistics and Transport, 2023
2. Paper Reviewer, Journal of Transportation Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers 2012 – Present
3. Paper Reviewer, Transportation Research Record, Journal of the Transportation Research Board 2012 – Present
4. Paper Reviewer, MDPI Journals, 2018-Present
5. Peer Reviewer, Western Michigan University Transportation Research Center Fall 2014 – Present
6. Former Committee Member and Communications Coordinator, Standing Committee on Strength and Deformation Characteristics of Pavement Systems AFD80, Transportation Research Board Fall 2012 – Fall 2018