PROGRAM

FACT SHEET

Identification of Nondestructive 

Evaluation Needs for the United 

States Highway Infrastructure

Publication No.: FHWA-HRT-13-056

Contact: Shane D. Boone, HRDI-60, 202-493-3064.

Objective

This program roadmap presents a list of prioritized 

nondestructive evaluation (NDE) needs for the United States 

highway infrastructure as identified by a group of nationally 

recognized NDE and structural health monitoring (SHM) 

experts.

Introduction

On September 27th and 28th, 2012, the Federal Highway 

Administration’s (FHWA’s) Office of Infrastructure Research 

and Development (R&D) held a 2-day workshop in 

Alexandria, VA, with the purpose of developing a list of 

prioritized needs regarding nondestructive evaluation for the 

United States highway infrastructure. This list will be used to 

determine new research and development activities required 

to develop a new strategic vision and roadmap for the 

program. The FHWA Nondestructive Evaluation Technical 

Working Group (TWG) workshop included nationally 

recognized experts in the fields of NDE and SHM from 

Federal and State departments of transportation (DOTs), 

academia, and industry. This document presents the list of 

prioritized needs identified by the workshop.

Background

The NDE Program established in 1996 at Turner-Fairbank 

Highway Research Center conducts FHWA NDE R&D. 

Historically, the goals of the program have been to improve 

the state of the practice for inspection and evaluation of the 

transportation infrastructure, which includes bridges, tunnels, 

pavements, and ancillary features such as sign posts and 

high-mast lighting. The original intent for the program was to 

act as a resource for State transportation agencies, industry, 

consultants, and academia concerned with the development, 

testing, and deployment of innovative NDE technologies.

Office of Research, Development, 

and Technology

Turner-Fairbank Highway 

Research Center

6300 Georgetown Pike

McLean, VA 22101-2296

www.fhwa.dot.gov/research
The current NDE Program has provided 

State highway agencies with 

independent evaluation and validation of 

NDE technologies, developed new 

sensor technologies, and supplied 

technical assistance to States exploring 

the use of these advanced technologies. 

The program also has applied these 

technologies in selected situations to 

assist the States in examining the 

nature and causes of anomalies or 

failures of in-service bridges and other 

ancillary structures. The Nondestructive 

Evaluation Laboratory, which manages 

the NDE Program, however, did and 

does not provide specific testing 

services nor is it a venue to gain formal 

approvals of equipment and/or 

methodologies for work with State 

DOTs.

The FHWA conducted the NDE 

Program in partnership with State 

transportation agencies, industry, 

consultants, and academia. While 

addressing the critical needs of the 

greater transportation community, the 

program also focused on developing 

solutions to meet the performance goals 

of the FHWA Infrastructure Inspection 

and Management Team; the overall 

goals of the FHWA Office of Research, 

Development, and Technology; the 

strategic goals of FHWA, and the overall 

mission of the United States Department 

of Transportation (USDOT). 

TWG Workshop Input

The goal of the TWG workshop was to 

create a list of prioritized NDE needs for 

the Nation’s infrastructure for use in 

developing an updated strategic vision 

and roadmap for the FHWA NDE 

Program. 

The TWG identified these needs via 

presentation of existing and new NDE

and structural health monitoring (SHM) 

methods, techniques, and technologies, 

along with in depth discussions by 

nationally recognized experts. The new 

FHWA NDE Program vision and 

roadmap should be one that allows the 

program to continue to improve upon its 

original goals while simultaneously 

developing a new vision to lead the NDE 

community for infrastructure health, 

maintenance, and repair. The vision and 

roadmap should include objectives that 

assist the Long-Term Bridge 

Performance (LTBP) Program in its 

long- and short-term goals, and should 

provide methods to assist States, 

industry, and academia with their NDE

needs. Finally, the vision and roadmap 

should include the ways and means to 

reach out to other industries for future 

development of NDE of structural 

components, materials, and systems 

while ultimately satisfying the missions 

of FHWA and USDOT.

USDOT Mission and FHWA 

Strategic Objectives

The USDOT’s mission is to1: 

...Serve the United States by 

ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, 

accessible, and convenient 

transportation system that meets 

our vital national interests and 

enhances the quality of life of the 

American people, today and into 

the future....

The Department pursues this mission by 

focusing on five strategic goals2: 
1. Safety – Improve public health 

and safety by reducing 

transportation-related fatalities 

and injuries. 

2. State of Good Repair – Ensure 

the United States proactively 

maintains its critical 

transportation infrastructure in a 

state of good repair. 

3. Economic Competitiveness – 

Promote transportation policies 

and investments that bring lasting 

and equitable economic benefits 

to the Nation and its citizens. 

4. Livable Communities – Foster 

livable communities through 

place-based policies and 

investments that increase 

transportation choices and 

access to transportation services. 

5. Environmental Sustainability – 

Advance environmentally 

sustainable policies and 

investments that reduce carbon 

and other harmful emissions from 

transportation sources.

Although all of these goals are an 

important part of the USDOT’s and 

FHWA’s mission, strategic goal 2—

State of Good Repair—applies 

specifically to the FHWA’s NDE 

Program. The FHWA meets the mission 

goal set forth by DOT through four 

strategic objectives. These four strategic 

objectives are3: 

1. National Leadership – FHWA

leads in developing and 

advocating solutions to national 

transportation needs.

2. System Performance – The 

Nation’s highway system 

provides safe, reliable, effective, 

and sustainable mobility for all 

users. 

3. Program Delivery – FHWA

programs are delivered 

effectively and consistently 

through successful partnerships, 

value-added stewardship, and 

risk-based oversight.

4. Corporate Capacity – 

Organizational resources are 

optimally deployed to meet 

today’s and tomorrow’s mission.

Finally, the FHWA Office of 

Infrastructure R&D conducts and 

oversees research and development 

programs and projects that address 

critical highway infrastructure needs and 

priorities of national importance to meet 

the strategic objectives of the FHWA. 

The projects and studies focus on the 

design, materials, construction, 

operation, and preservation of highway 

pavements, bridges, culverts, tunnels, 

and other structures. In addition, the 

Office of Infrastructure R&D provides 

expert technical assistance to other 

FHWA offices, other Federal agencies, 

State and local transportation 

organizations, industry, and academia. 

Through an integrated and 

interdisciplinary research approach, the 

Office of Infrastructure R&D provides 

state-of-the-art knowledge and tools 

with the goal of improving the safety, 

performance, and cost effectiveness of 

the Nation’s highway infrastructure, 

while minimizing the impacts that 

highway construction, operations, 

maintenance, and rehabilitation may 

have on the environment. 

The contributions of stakeholders from 

across the highway infrastructure 

spectrum in the development and 

execution of multiyear R&D plans and 

roadmaps are key to the success of the 
program4

. 

Thus, in order for the FHWA NDE 

Program to meet the needs, goals, and 

missions of the Office of Infrastructure 

R&D, FHWA, and the USDOT, its 

strategic vision and roadmap should be 

aligned with and fully support FHWA’s 

goals and priorities. By meeting FHWA’s 

strategic objectives, the program will 

inherently meet those of the USDOT 

(figure 1).

The strategic vision and roadmap for the 

program should help ensure system 

performance and provide national 

leadership by developing, testing, and 

deploying innovative NDE technologies. 

The technologies should address critical 

conditions and weaknesses in the 

physical infrastructure that diminish the 

capacity of the transportation system 

and/or increase the risk of failure of 

bridges, pavements, and other 

structures that might decrease safety 

and/or mobility. 

The program should be a leader in 

developing solutions, demonstrating the 

effectiveness of those solutions, and 

partnering with other stakeholders to 

ensure that proper training is available 

to implement those solutions effectively. 

Organizational resources should be 

optimized by working with FHWA’s 

partners and stakeholders to identify the 

highest priority needs, leveraging 

resources and knowledge to develop 

solutions, and reevaluating priorities 

continually as circumstances change.

Current Mission, Vision, and 

Goals

Historically, the research emphasis of 

the FHWA NDE Program focused on 

condition evaluations and forensic 

analysis of bridge failures with some 

relatively minor research in pavement 

NDE. The bridge NDE research involved 

technology evaluation for quality 

assurance and quality control of new 

bridges as well as condition assessment 

of in-service bridges and forensic 

analysis when appropriate. The NDE 

activities conducted by the program 

involved NDE investigations of inservice bridges supporting the National 

Bridge Inspection Standard (NBIS) 

bridge inspection program, which is

conducted by highway agencies. The 

program also performed research 

through special requests identified by 

State and Federal highway agencies. 

While visual inspection methods are the 

primary mode of inspection under the 

NBIS, numerous situations occur in 

which NDE provides the ability to detect 

problems that the eye cannot properly 

identify or effectively characterize, thus 

problems could potentially remain 

undetected.

Figure 1. Flowchart of Missions, 

Objectives, and Goals

NDE Strategic Vision and 

Roadmap

Office of Infrastructure 

R&D Goals

FHWA Strategic 

Objectives

USDOT 

Mission
The NDE Program was originally viewed 

as the keystone of the FHWA’s 

research, testing, and deployment 

efforts related to the application of 

nondestructive testing technologies for 

assessment of highway infrastructure. 

The original mission of the NDE Center 

was5: 

...to conduct state-of-the-art 

research and testing of 

nondestructive testing systems 

and technologies to improve the 

Nation’s highway infrastructure.

The original vision of the NDE Program 

was to provide advanced NDE research

within the context of an integrated view 

of highway facilities, which include 

bridges, pavements, and other 

structures such as culverts, retaining 

walls, tunnels, sign structures, and highmast lighting. These statements remain 

true of the FHWA NDE Program. 

With new research priorities identified by 

stakeholders, however, the program 

needs to incorporate new research and 

development goals. These goals should 

deliver the program into the future, work 

side by side with the Long-Term Bridge 

Performance Program, and provide 

substantial training and tools to 

stakeholders. 

This new strategic vision and roadmap, 

therefore, will broaden the NDE 

Program’s current mission and redefine 

its objectives while simultaneously 

defining a clear path forward for the 

future research of NDE at FHWA. 

FHWA NDE Program Strategic 

Vision and Roadmap 

Development

The FHWA NDE TWG workshop 

attendees identified NDE technologies, 

methods, and goals as well as the 

pressing needs of the current and future 

national infrastructure inventory. 

With these existing technologies and 

needs recognized, specific activities will 

be identified that will aid in the 

prioritization of actions and the 

development of overall goals for the 

FHWA NDE Program. 

The strategic vision and roadmap will be 

drafted from these prioritized actions 

and goals to satisfy the strategic goals 

of FHWA and allow the Agency’s NDE 

Program to continue to be a national 

leader in the field of infrastructure NDE 

and SHM in figure 2.

Identification and Prioritization 

of National Infrastructure NDE 

and SHM Needs

The workshop produced a list of 14

pressing needs for the Nation’s highway 

infrastructure. 

These needs were developed via 

presentations and in-depth discussions 

by nationally recognized NDE experts 

from FHWA, State DOTs, academia, 

and industry and were then prioritized in 

table 1. The list does not identify specific 

actions for the FHWA NDE Program, but 

only identifies the needs of the national 

infrastructure regarding NDE and SHM.
Final Summary

The FHWA NDE Program assembled a 

group of nationally recognized experts in 

the field of NDE from Federal and State 

DOTs, academia, and industry with the 

intent of developing a list of prioritized 

NDE needs for the highway 

infrastructure of the United States. The 

list was developed from presentations 

and in-depth discussions. The FHWA 

will use the list to identify research and 

development activities required to 

develop a strategic vision and roadmap 

for the FHWA NDE Program. 

References

1. Department of Transportation 

(2012). “About DOT” (Web site), U.S. 

Department of Transportation, 

Washington, D.C. Accessed online: 

February 7, 2013 

(http://www.dot.gov/about) 

2. Department of Transportation 

(2012). “DOT Strategic Plan 2012-

2016” (Web site), U.S. Department 

of Transportation, Washington, D.C. 

Accessed online: February 7, 2013 

(http://www.dot.gov/dot-strategicplan) 

3. Federal Highway Administration 

(2012). “FHWA Strategic Plan” (Web 

site), Federal Highway 

Administration, McLean, VA. 

Accessed Online: February 7, 2013 

(http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/

fhplan.htm) 

4. Federal highway Administration 

(2011) “Office of Infrastructure 

Research and Development (R&D)” 

(Web site), Federal Highway 

Administration, McLean, VA. 

Accessed Online: February 7, 2013 

(http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tf

hrc/offices/infrastructure/) 

5. Federal highway Administration 

(2011) “Nondestructive Evaluation 

Laboratory” (Web site), Federal 

Highway Administration, McLean, 

VA. Accessed Online: February 7, 

2013 

(http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/

tfhrc/labs/nde/) 

Additional Information

For additional information, contact 

Shane D. Boone, Office of Infrastructure 

R&D, 6300 Georgetown Pike, McLean, 

VA 22101-2296; 202-493-3064.

 

Figure 2. FHWA NDE Strategic Vision 

and Roadmap Flowchart 

1 

•Identification of National Infrastructure 

Nondestructive Evaluation/Structural 

Health Monitoring Pressing Needs

2 

•Determination of Required Research 

and Development Activities

3 

•Prioritization of Research and 

Development Activities and 

Development of Nondestructive 

Evaluation Program Goals

4 

•Development of Federal Highway 

Administration Infrastructure 

Nondestructive Evaluation Strategic 

Vision and Roadmap
Table 1. Prioritized National Highway Infrastructure Nondestructive Evaluation and

Structural Health Monitoring Needs.

Priority 

Level United States Highway Infrastructure NDE Need

1 Provide NDE education and training/certification. 

2 Develop a NDE validation center for material and real bridge level specimens. 

3 Standardize NDE procedures and protocols.

4 Create bridge condition and reference baseline data for quality assurance.

5 Overcome the limitations of existing NDE and identify methods to address 

these limitations.

6 Determine cost benefit analysis of NDE. 

7 

Develop decision making/risk-based analysis framework to help put NDE in 

the design, maintenance, inspection, and repair process (incentives for 

States).

8 Determine the probability of detection for different NDE techniques.

9 Incorporate maintenance and inspection into the design process.

10 Create improved methods for data visualization and presentation. 

11 Implement a data/technology repository. 

12 Create improved methods for data fusion and combination of techniques. 

13 Identify mature technologies and develop an applicability and deployability 

matrix.

14 Identify limitations of visual inspection and identify easier methods to 

determine when NDE is required.
Researchers—This document was produced by the Federal Highway 

Administration.

Distribution—This roadmap summary is being distributed according to a 

standard distribution. Direct distribution is being made to the FHWA divisions and 

Resource Center.

Availability—The document will be available in spring 2013 and may be obtained 

from the FHWA Product Distribution Center by email to 

report.center@fhwa.dot.gov. 

Key Words—Nondestructive Evaluation Program, NDE, Roadmap, Structural 

Health Monitoring, Bridge, Highway, Infrastructure. 

Notice—This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. 

Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. 

Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this 

document. The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. 

Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are 

considered essential to the objective of the document.

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