LTU ALERT:

For Thursday 02/06/25, the campus will be closed until 12 noon today due to the severe weather. All classes scheduled after 12 noon will take place as scheduled. Students should check Canvas for details on classes.

Faculty + Staff

Nishantha
Bandara
Director - Lawrence Tech. Transportation Institute (LTTI)
Director - Concrete Technology & Management Program (CTM)
Associate Professor

Bandara received his PhD 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, PhD, 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

» Document Viewer

Use Your Cell Phone as a Document Camera in Zoom

  • What you will need to have and do
  • Download the mobile Zoom app (either App Store or Google Play)
  • Have your phone plugged in
  • Set up video stand phone holder

From Computer

Log in and start your Zoom session with participants

From Phone

  • Start the Zoom session on your phone app (suggest setting your phone to “Do not disturb” since your phone screen will be seen in Zoom)
  • Type in the Meeting ID and Join
  • Do not use phone audio option to avoid feedback
  • Select “share content” and “screen” to share your cell phone’s screen in your Zoom session
  • Select “start broadcast” from Zoom app. The home screen of your cell phone is now being shared with your participants.

To use your cell phone as a makeshift document camera

  • Open (swipe to switch apps) and select the camera app on your phone
  • Start in photo mode and aim the camera at whatever materials you would like to share
  • This is where you will have to position what you want to share to get the best view – but you will see ‘how you are doing’ in the main Zoom session.