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Our Services & Strategies
Our Roles
As Leaders for National Mobility
• Provide leadership in defining a future transportation system.
• Advocate highway system excellence.
• Formulate national program policy and content.
• Develop perspective and expertise to support and measure system performance.
As Stewards for National Highway Programs
• “Raise the bar” on highway and transportation system performance.
• Ensure financial accountability.
• Anticipate and meet national security needs.
• Deliver Federal-aid and Federal Lands Programs.
As Innovators for a Better Future
• Invest in and conduct transportation research on behalf of customers, partners, and stakeholders.
• Create an environment for, and deliver innovations in the transportation community through development of tools, technology transfer, training, and technical assistance.
• Continually reevaluate and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our business processes.
Our Services
Deliver the Federal-aid and Federal Lands Highway Programs-Our Investment in the Nation’s Transportation System
FHWA carries out the Federal highway programs in partnership with the State and local agencies to meet the Nation's transportation needs. FHWA adds value to the delivery of the Federal highway programs by administering and overseeing these programs to ensure that Federal funds are used efficiently. In administering these Federal funds, we apply flexible and innovative financing techniques permissible under the law, and use efficient administrative processes, such as electronic signatures, online processing, Web information dissemination, and videoconferencing.
Advance the State-of-the-Art in the Transportation System
We work cooperatively with governmental agencies, industry, and research community partners to research, develop, test, and implement the latest proven technological advancements including intelligent transportation systems. FHWA promotes and maintains a high level of engineering excellence in the delivery of transportation products, and delivers technical assistance and training to State, local, and tribal government transportation managers and staff. Our Agency also fosters nationwide uniformity of standards for signs, signals, designs, and safety features on major highway systems.
Enhance Safety and Protect the Environment
We promote the use of the best available safety practices, programs, and technologies in all phases of highway planning, design, construction, and operations. With our partners, we ensure that transportation system plans and technologies and innovations improve safety of the public and the human and natural environments, and that the decision processes include the full and open participation of the public. FHWA ensures that all people and businesses affected by those decisions are treated equally and in accordance with the law.
Customer and Partner Service
FHWA is committed to improving customer and partner satisfaction. We solicit customer and partner feedback through surveys, ongoing communications, and assessments to improve our programs and services. We continuously review our information to ensure that it does, in fact, measure up to best practices and serve the needs of our ultimate customers, the American public. To obtain customer service information, visit the FHWA Web site at: www.fhwa.dot.gov/commit.html
Our People
Like most major private corporations, a group of people supports FHWA programs and activities. We have lawyers, who make up our chief counsel’s office; civil rights experts, who oversee the civil rights program; quality experts, who essentially review the effectiveness of FHWA programs and processes; policy experts, who oversee FHWA policy; and public affairs experts, who provide information to the media and general public. Administrative experts manage our information systems and technology; oversee publishing and communications; handle contract matters, including acquisitions; and manage our human resources.
Since FHWA has a great deal to do with highway design and construction, a large number of our employees are engineers from all disciplines-civil, traffic, computer applications, systems, environmental, electrical, and mechanical, to name a few. Our safety specialists deliver a wide range of engineering, enforcement, education, human factors, communication, and analytical skills needed to improve highway safety. We have people dedicated to planning, environment, and realty. Planners are involved in everything from preparing border crossings to helping large metropolitan areas formulate transportation plans to accommodate increased growth. Environmentalists cover a wide range of areas from reviewing Environmental Impact Statements to overseeing the foliage that should be planted in highway median strips to reduce mowing costs and increase highway beautification. Realty experts provide resources to State partners to acquire private properties for highway projects.
It is in the best interest of everyone to complete highway construction as rapidly as possible. Over the last several years, our finance experts have worked with many State and construction industry partners to devise different innovative financing plans. Since we are responsible for compiling, publishing, and interpreting a wide range of statistics and financial information on roadways, we also have a number of statisticians and economists on our staff. Every year, instructors at FHWA’s National Highway Institute train thousands of professionals on courses that vary from the latest technology in managing snow and ice to seismic (earthquake) bridge design.
Our Commitment to You
To our partners in the transportation community, we pledge the following:
• To make all major changes in policies and regulations available to you. You will have at least 60 days to offer your views on all proposed changes, and we will consider your views when making decisions. Regulations will be clear and realistic, and will impose only the minimum necessary requirements.
• To make timely and accurate funding payments to everyone who has a financial relationship with FHWA. On the date a request is made, we will strive to generate reimbursements to States who use electronic signatures.
• To directly or indirectly provide the best available training, technical assistance, and access to state-of-the-art transportation technologies.
• To embrace an open and cooperative approach to considering and deciding actions that may affect practices, materials, or other transportation improvement activities.
• To ensure integrity in our business processes; to be advocates of innovations; and to be objective in our evaluations.
To the American public, we pledge the following:
• To provide all people and businesses affected by Federal-aid transportation improvements with opportunities to present their views during the decisionmaking process, and to ensure that they will receive all services and benefits that they are entitled to under the law.
• To undertake all Federal-aid transportation improvements with minimal delays and maximize safety for the travelers and workers.
• To work with our partners in improving safety of the highway network in a timely and prioritized manner.
• To work closely with our partners in enhancing the condition and performance of our major roads and bridges.
• To work with our partners to ensure quality and uniformity in signs, signals, and design standards on the Nation's major highways.
• To enhance the environment and minimize the effects of federally aided transportation improvements on the natural and human social environments and historical sites.
• To provide timely and accurate information whenever it is requested. We will provide the requested information, or a specific commitment for future delivery, within 10 business days of our receipt of the request.
Our Plan for the Future
We promise to continue to listen and respond to the American public and our partners in the transportation community. We value your input, which enables us to maintain our commitment to quality and performance in the future.
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