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The Federal Role in Highway Research and Technology Special Report 261 (2001) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 95-102

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From page 95...
... Environmental challenges are at the heart of contentious debates about where, how, and even whether to add new capacity. The providers of highway transportation face many problems that require innovative solutions.
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From page 96...
... Similarly, fundamental research on individual travel behavior, lifestyle choices, and household activity patterns could lead to the development of better predictive models of regional travel demand to replace current descriptive models calibrated with aggregate data. Such research has the potential for high payoffs, even though it tends to be risky and typically requires longer to complete.
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From page 97...
... For example, the federal government could examine how traffic diversion due to increased congestion on urban freeways can affect the performance of alternative routes not built to Interstate design standards. The committee recommends that FHWA adopt the goal of allocating approximately one-half of its R&T resources to topics addressing sig nificant gaps in other highway R&T programs and emerging issues with national implications.2 This share would leave one-quarter of FHWAs' R&T resources for other activities related to the agency's federal mission responsibilities, including research related to policy and regulations, technology transfer and field applications, education and training, and technical support.
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From page 98...
... Although a systematic approach to stakeholder involvement begins with problem identification, such involvement must carry through to implementation. To maintain an appropriate program focus on fundamental, long-term research, decisions about what research to pursue should balance stake holder problem identification with expert external technical review regarding which research areas and specific research directions hold promise for significant breakthroughs.
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From page 99...
... The SP&R program not only facilitates individual state highway R&T programs but also fosters research collaboration and partnering among the states in pooled-fund projects. The committee endorses the findings and recommendations of the con gressionally requested study to determine the need for and focus of a Future Strategic Highway Research Program (known as F-SHRP)
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From page 100...
... F-SHRP is aimed at making substantial progress toward four critical research goals: · Developing a consistent, systematic approach to performing highway renewal that is rapid, causes minimum disruption, and produces long-lived facilities; · Preventing or reducing the severity of highway crashes through more accurate knowledge of crash factors and of the cost-effectiveness of selected countermeasures in addressing these factors; · Providing highway users with reliable travel times by preventing and reducing the impact of nonrecurring incidents; and · Developing approaches and tools for systematically integrating environmental, economic, and community requirements into the analysis, planning, and design of new highway capacity. It is important that the proposed funding for the F-SHRP research -- derived from federal-aid highway program allocations to the states that would otherwise be spent on construction, maintenance, and other authorized activities-not be viewed as a substitute for funding for other state and federal highway R&T programs.
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From page 101...
... Therefore, if Congress agrees with the committees' recommendations for an improved federal highway R&T program, it should provide FHWA with the funding and funding flexibility needed to undertake the recommended changes. Without such changes in its R&T funding and funding flexibility, FHWA will be unable to reform its R&T pro gram as the committee has recommended.
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Key Terms

  • federal highway
  • federal role
  • merit review
  • strategic highway
  • stakeholder involvement

  • national highway
  • highway users
  • public highway
  • highway agencies
  • state highway

  • special report
  • emerging issues
  • federal mission
  • improving quality
  • maximum return

  • national implications
  • funding flexibility
  • reducing congestion
  • university transportation
  • saving lives

  • state funds
  • organizations throughout
  • systematic approach
  • technical experts
  • highway renewal

  • highway crashes
  • highway capacity
  • performing highway
  • highway program
  • highway expenditures


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