The Office of Infrastructure Research and 

Development (R&D) conducts and administers 

infrastructure R&D programs and projects for 

the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that 

address problems of national priority within the 

U.S. highway system. This work directly supports 

the goals and mission of the U.S. Department of 

Transportation and the FHWA Strategic Plan.

(1,2)

GOALS

FHWA’s Office of Infrastructure R&D conducts 

research to develop knowledge, guidelines, 

analytical and physical tools, and test methods 

and procedures addressing the following 

FHWA Infrastructure Research and Technology 

Objectives:

• Improve the sustainability of highway 

infrastructure. 

• Achieve and sustain a state of good repair 

of pavements, bridges, and tunnels.

• Implement and enhance the effectiveness of 

transportation performance management.

In addition, the office provides specialized 

technical assistance to address infrastructure 

issues of national importance requiring research 

capabilities and technical expertise uniquely 

available within the Office of Infrastructure R&D. 

PRIORITY RESEARCH AREAS

The Office of Infrastructure R&D focuses on 

important research and development where there 

is an appropriate Federal role by virtue of national 

need, scope, duration, or risk. Current priority 

research areas are as follows.

Designing Infrastructure for Safety, Durability, 

and Resiliency

Safe, durable, sustainable, and resilient highway 

infrastructure is essential to maintain the 

commercial and personal mobility that supports the 

U.S. economy and way of life. Advances in materials, 

tools, technologies, test methods, specifications, 

and guidance are needed to support cost-effective 

designs for bridges, tunnels, pavements, and other 

structures. Specific challenges that need to be 

addressed include the following:

• Design innovations to better meet highway 

infrastructure needs, including accelerated 

project delivery.

• Prediction, prevention, and mitigation of damage 

due to climate conditions and natural hazards.

• Test methods and guidance to support 

performance-related selection, design, and 

specification of infrastructure and infrastructure 

materials, whether new or recycled.

• Optimal use of new and/or innovative materials 

to effectively address infrastructure design challenges, and minimize environmental impacts.

• Integration of lifecycle engineering methodologies to consider both economic and environmental considerations into decisionmaking 

processes.

• Integration of infrastructure safety considerations 

into design, construction, maintenance, and 

assessment decisionmaking.

• Methods and tools to assess/quantify the safety, 

durability, sustainability and resiliency of 

infrastructure design decisions.

Infrastructure Performance Management

Advancements in infrastructure performance 

management tools, technologies, and guidance are 

needed to maximize the benefits achieved through 

implementation of the Moving Ahead for Progress 

in the 21st Century Act-mandated performance 

management regulations. Specific challenges to be 

addressed include the following:

• Understanding/prediction of long-term 

infrastructure performance, including, but not 

limited to, the impacts of both traffic loads 

and the environment through the Long-Term 

Pavement Performance and Long-Term Bridge 

Performance programs.

• Guidance, tools, and technologies to support 

sound characterization of asset condition and 

INFRASTRUCTURE 

R&D Research and Development

Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
safety in support of lifecycle planning and cross 

asset trade-off analysis.

• Methodologies, tools, and guidance to support 

risk-based asset management. 

• Guidance and decision support tools to support 

target setting and sustained achievement of the 

desired state of good repair over the full asset 

lifecycle, at minimum practicable costs.

• Guidance and tools to enable effective consideration of the linkages among planning, design, 

construction, operation and maintenance in life

cycle planning; identification and development 

of next generation performance measures.

Infrastructure Construction, Preservation, and 

Rehabilitation

As highway agencies strive to maintain our nation’s 

highways in a state-of-good-repair, the need for 

improved construction, preservation and rehabilitation 

practices that result in economical, long-lasting 

bridges, pavements, tunnels, and other structures 

has never been greater. Challenges and needs to be 

addressed include the following: 

• Overcoming impediments to efficient, rapid 

construction, preservation and rehabilitation 

while achieving high quality.

• Guiding the selection, timing, and application 

of preservation treatments for maximum 

effectiveness.

• Appropriately balancing risk among the public 

and private sector organizations involved in both 

traditional and innovative contracting processes.

COLLABORATION

In pursuing the R&D program described herein, the 

FHWA Office of Infrastructure R&D works closely and 

collaboratively with other FHWA offices and with the 

broader community of highway stakeholders to ensure 

that the program does the following:

• Addresses agency goals, mission, and 

requirements.

• Recognizes the work of other agencies and 

organizations and coordinates its work accordingly.

• Delivers outcomes in the form of readily implementable products at the earliest appropriate time.

• Moves products into practice as quickly as possible 

to achieve maximum possible benefits.

BENEFITS

The outcomes delivered through our research will 

benefit the American public by enabling improvements 

in the safety, performance, and cost effectiveness of 

the Nation’s highway infrastructure while minimizing 

the environmental impacts of highway construction, 

maintenance, and rehabilitation. The results will reduce 

highway congestion, improve highway safety, and 

enhance the overall driving experience.

FHWA is charged with ensuring minimum standards 

of safety for the public as it travels on the Nation’s 

roads and highways. While there are many other 

organizations and agencies that conduct highway 

research, the FHWA Office of Infrastructure R&D 

is uniquely positioned to address the continuum 

of highway infrastructure research from high-risk, 

exploratory, and advanced research through the highly 

applied, problem-specific research that is necessary 

to address current issues and immediate problems. 

This broad range of research capability provides a high 

likelihood of success that is critical for sustaining the 

Nation’s economy.

REFERENCE

1. Federal Highway Administration. (2014). FY 2018/19 

Strategic Implementation Plan. Federal Highway 

Administration, Washington, DC. Obtained from: 

http://staffnet.fhwa.dot.gov/strategic/suggestions_2018_sip/index.htm 

2. U.S. Department of Transportation. (2016). FY 2014 

Performance Report and FY 2016 Performance Plan, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, 

DC. Obtained from: https://www.transportation.gov/

mission/budget/fy2016-annual-performance-plan

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