UT Tyler Awarded TxDOT Grant to Study Roadways Impacted by Flooding
October 13, 2026 | Hannah Buchanan
Collaborative project will develop safety guide, updated measures for usage across state
The University of Texas at Tyler was awarded nearly $670,000 by the Texas Department of Transportation to help improve the statewide evaluation and repair of roadways affected by flooding. Dr. Mayzan Isied, Michael and Elizabeth McNally Endowed Professor in Civil Engineering and graduate programs coordinator, serves as UT Tyler’s principal investigator on the three-year, collaborative project with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
Dr. Mena Souliman, UT Tyler Ronald D. Brazzel Endowed Professor of Civil Engineering and Department of Civil and Construction Engineering and Management chair, serves as co-principal investigator. With nearly 35 years of expertise in pavement engineering combined, they will guide UT Tyler’s technical contributions to the project.
“We applaud Dr. Isied and Dr. Souliman on being part of this very important initiative in collaboration with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute,” Dr. Amir Mirmiran, UT Tyler chief research officer. “By combining pavement engineering, advanced sensing technologies and practical repair guidance, our research team can provide agencies with the tools needed to support safer and more confident decisions following major flooding events in East Texas and across the state.”
According to Isied, this project addresses one of the most difficult challenges transportation agencies face following severe weather –– determining whether a roadway that appears intact at the surface has sustained hidden structural damage beneath the pavement.
“A roadway can appear acceptable at the surface while serious moisture-related damage, erosion or voids remain underneath,” said Isied. “This research will help TxDOT personnel make faster, data-informed decisions about whether a roadway is safe to reopen and what repairs will provide the best long-term performance. Our goal is to improve safety, reduce unnecessary closure time and strengthen the resilience of Texas transportation infrastructure.”
The project will collectively support the development of training materials, workshops and outreach activities to help TxDOT personnel apply the findings during emergency response operations throughout Texas.
“The project’s principal deliverable will be a guide that will provide practical recommendations, best practices and case studies to help transportation personnel rapidly evaluate pavement condition, determine whether a roadway is safe to reopen, establish appropriate repair limits, and selectmaterials capable of restoring structural capacity, safety and long-term durability,” Isied added.
Additionally, researchers will evaluate repair methods and materials for flood-affected pavements and embankments. They will also explore autonomous systems that could allow agencies to gather critical information in hazardous or inaccessible areas while limiting the need for personnel or vehicles to travel across potentially unstable pavement.
With a mission to improve educational and healthcare outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,700 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & WorldReport as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.