Office of Corporate Research, Technology, and Innovation Management Research and Technology Program Development and Partnership Team > State Planning &
Research Program > List of Research Programs & Organizations
State Planning & Research Program
The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) requires that States set aside 2 percent of the apportionments they receive from the Interstate Maintenance, National Highway System, Surface Transportation, Highway Bridge, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement, and Equity Bonus programs for State planning and research activities. Of
this amount, States must allocate 25 percent for research, development, and technology. These activities involve research on new areas of knowledge; adapting findings to practical applications by
developing new technologies; and the transfer of these technologies, including the process of dissemination, demonstration, training, and adoption of innovations by users.
The State Planning and Research (SP&R) Program is intended to
solve problems identified by the states. State Departments of Transportation
are encouraged to develop, establish, and implement RD&T programs
that anticipate and addresses transportation concerns before they
become critical problems. Each State must develop, establish, and
implement a program that ensures effective use of available SP&R
funds for RD&T activities on a statewide basis, and each state
is permitted to tailor its RD&T program to meet local needs. High
priority is given to applied research on state or regional problems,
transfer of technology from researcher to user, and research for setting
standards and specifications. Major R&D areas include infrastructure
renewal (including pavement, structures, and asset management); activities
relating to safety, operations, and management; environmental and
real estate planning; and policy analysis and systems monitoring.
State Departments of Transportation are encouraged to include development
and technology transfer programs to share the results of their own
research efforts and promote the use of new technology.
To promote effective use of available resources, State Departments of Transportation are encouraged to cooperate with other States, the FHWA,
and other appropriate agencies to achieve RD&T objectives established
at the national level and to develop a technology transfer program
to promote and use those results. States are encouraged to pool their
funds in cooperative research efforts as a means of addressing national
and regional issues and as a means of leveraging funds. This includes
contributing to cooperative RD&T programs such as the NCHRP, the
TRB, and transportation pooled fund studies.
