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Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology: Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations

 

Bridge and Structures Research and Development (R&D) Topics Index

 


FHWA's bridge and structures research and development provide technologies and solutions to advance the state–of–the–art and practice in highway infrastructure engineering. To achieve these goals and objectives, the Office's three bridge and structures R&D teams conduct and manage research in the following areas

Design and Construction

 

Bridge and Structures Design and Construction R&D addresses structural materials (e.g., steel, concrete, wood, and polymer composites) and systems; geotechnical engineering (including shallow and deep foundations); hydraulics and hydrology; aerodynamics; infrastructure security; and extreme events (e.g., seismic, blast, and scour).

     

Infrastructure Management

 

Bridge and Structures Infrastructure Management R&D advances technology, tools, and practices for inspection, evaluation, and monitoring of highway infrastructure; assessing and improving highway infrastructure durability; and advancing infrastructure preservation practices.

     

Long–Term Bridge Performance

 

The Long–Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) program is a 20+ year research program to develop data and knowledge to better understand and predict bridge performance under a variety of operating conditions. It is anticipated that the program will improve asset management –based decisionmaking and future design and construction practices. link to LTBP program site