The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department is funding the research of two UALR professors to determine which ground-penetrating radar (GPR) configuration will prove most efficient for state highway maintenance and management.

The two-year grant of $286,341 will support the research of Dr. Hanan Mahdi, an associate professor in the UALR Graduate Institute of Technology and the Arkansas Earthquake Center.

She is joined in her research by co-investigator, Amin Akhnoukh, an associate professor of construction management in the UALR College of Engineering and Information Technology.

GPRs use radar pulses to detect subsurface structures and other objects and can be especially useful when planning construction and road projects to avoid project delays and cost overruns, according to the AHTD.

A GPR configuration specifically designed for the AHTD will help determine the location and depth of underground utilities to avoid destruction of water pipes, gas pipes, drainage systems, electric cables, and sub-pavement cavities, according to Mahdi.

“Additional advantages of this project include the investigation of any archeological sites or unmarked graves that AHTD may encounter during road projects,” she said.

Mahdi and Akhnoukh will also train AHTD personnel on the use of the new system during field investigations and through workshops.

“We’re looking forward to working with AHTD to accomplish the project tasks to benefit the state and support these important needs,” Mahdi said.

Last year, Arkansas voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase to help pay for $1.8 billion in improvements and construction of four-lane highways that will connect all areas of the state.

Heavily traveled four-lane highways are being widened to six lanes, including Interstate 40 between Conway and Little Rock and U.S. Highway 67 between Cabot and Jacksonville.

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