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The Federal Investment in Highway Research, 2006-2009 Strengths and Weaknesses - Special Report 295 (2008) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
Pages 7-14

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From page 7...
... The nation has 3.2 million miles (8.4 million lane miles) of roads that connect metropolitan areas, towns, and counties to serve more than 300 million residents and 7 million business establishments (BTS 2006, Chapter 1)
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From page 8...
... to maximize that investment. This report presents RTCC's assessment of the highway research programs of FHWA; highway-related research funded through the Research and Innovative Technology Administration; and the Strategic Highway Research Program 2, which was authorized in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)
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From page 9...
... Highway vehicles remain a major source of air pollution. Since 1990, highway transportation's contribution to air pollution has decreased for all pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act [carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx)
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From page 10...
... Lower-than-expected future VMT and a shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles would reduce gasoline taxes and other user fee revenues to the federal and state trust funds that support highway and transit capital programs.
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From page 11...
... Described in boxes throughout this report are examples of cases in which publicly funded highway research programs have devised innovations that have resulted in longer-lived assets at reduced costs, reduced environmental impacts, saved lives, and improved economic efficiency. Additional innovation will be needed to improve safety, reduce congestion, address environmental and energy concerns, and provide the quality system the nation's citizens expect.
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From page 12...
... A 1997 study by the Texas Transportation Institute projected that when it is fully imple mented, net savings over 20 years should approach $1.8 billion annually -- approximately $500 million in direct public savings and $1.3 billion in highway user savings. Moreover, analyses by individual states and cities have found dramatic advances in per formance at little or no increase in cost.
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From page 13...
... REFERENCES Abbreviations BEA Bureau of Economic Analysis BTS Bureau of Transportation Statistics FHWA Federal Highway Administration NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration USDOT United States Department of Transportation BEA.
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From page 14...
... Special Report. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Washington, D.C.
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Key Terms

  • federal investment
  • federal highway
  • highway transportation
  • transportation statistics
  • asphalt pavements

  • billion annually
  • highway administration
  • vehicle crashes
  • motor vehicle
  • vehicle emissions

  • highway vehicle
  • national highway
  • highway transport
  • highway capital
  • national safety

  • safety administration
  • safety council
  • capital programs
  • major highway
  • highway vehicles

  • funded highway
  • support highway
  • strategic highway
  • highway investments
  • highway travel

  • total highway
  • national transportation
  • justify federal
  • future vmt
  • clean air


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