The Texas A&M system’s $70 million dollar center for infrastructure renewal (CIR) was officially opened with a ribbon cutting Wednesday morning.
Speakers included Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, state senator Paul Bettencourt of Houston, A&M system board of regents chairman Charles Schwartz, and system chancellor John Sharp.
They and other speakers all touted the research and testing capabilities of the 138,000 square foot facility at the system’s RELLIS campus by system agencies and universities along with the private sector.
There were also many lighter moments shared between Schwartz, Sharp, Bettencourt, and Patrick.
Schwartz also provided a historical perspective of the location, which is the former Bryan air base.
Additional information about the Center For Infrastructure Renewal from the Texas A&M system:
The Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR) is a 138,000-square-foot multidisciplinary research environment that has capabilities to accelerate design, testing and validation of new materials, technologies and processes that will enable longer lasting critical infrastructure systems and ensure that it costs less and can be built in less time.
The CIR provides tools and techniques for renewing aging infrastructure that is in need of repair or replacement because it has outlived its intended capacities.
CIR research is focused on nine critical infrastructure sectors: transportation systems; chemical systems; communication systems; critical manufacturing; smart energy; information technology systems; nuclear reactors, materials and waste systems; and water and wastewater systems.
The CIR includes 12 distinct laboratories, from asphalt and concrete for pavements, to intelligent sensor and power grid controls.
