In partnership with Seattle Public Utilities, first-year Ph.D. student Emily Everton and Professor Edward Kolodziej are studying the presence and impact of tire-derived chemicals, such as 6PPD-quinone, in roadway runoff throughout Seattle. Their research aims to improve stormwater treatment strategies and enhance water quality and environmental health by identifying high concentrations of toxic chemicals in urban creeks.

A team from CEE’s structural engineering group partnered with Concrete Technology Corporation, based in Tacoma, to test the stability of long prestressed concrete girders used in highway bridges. These 150-foot girders, the largest ever tested, provide critical data on buckling risks during transportation, validating new stability theories developed by the team and contributing to safer infrastructure development across the region.