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

 

 

Turner–Fairbank Highway Research Center Research and Development Programs

 

The Turner–Fairbank Highway Research Center provides Federal Highway Administration and the world highway community with research and development related to new highway technologies. The research focuses on providing solutions to complex technical problems through the development of more economical, environmentally sensitive designs; more efficient, quality controlled constructions practices; and more durable materials. The end result is a safer, more reliable highway transportation system.

The following broad program areas enable the Federal Highway Administration to advance the state of the practice and the transportation system.

Exploratory Advanced Research

This program addresses the need to conduct  longer term and higher risk breakthrough research with the potential for transformational improvements.

Infrastructure

Research includes pavements, materials, design, geotechnology, structures, bridges, and culverts.

Operations

Operations includes vehicle operations on highways such as efficiently, effectively, and safely moving vehicles on roads; finding solutions that address congestion; finding ways to increase the number of people and goods able to travel on different road types; vehicle–infrastructure interactions; intelligent transportation systems; and tolling.

Safety

This research covers elements of safety such as human factors, visibility, speed management, intersections, pedestrians, and bicyclists.