USA Banner
  U.S. flag
              An official website of the United States government Here's how you knowOfficial US Government Icon
              **Official websites use .gov**A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
            Secure Site Icon
              **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                  A **lock** ( A locked padlock ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 
 U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation
 Search DOT
            Search
                    About FHWAFHWA Organization
                Headquarters Offices
                Field Offices
                Strategic Plan
                Business Opportunities
                Staff Directories
                Careers
                Highway History
                Contact UsProgramsAcquisition Management
                Civil Rights
                Federal Lands Highway
                Infrastructure
                Innovative Program Delivery
                Operations
                Planning, Environment, and Realty
                Policy
                Research, Development, and Technology
                Safety
                Browse by TopicsResourcesCore Highway Topics
                Federal Aid Essentials
                Automation
                Complete Streets
                Laws and Regulations
                Policy & Guidance Center
                Section 508
                Publications and Statistics
                Professional Development
                National Highway Institute
                Resource Center
                Accessibility Resource Library
                FHWA Research LibraryNewsroomPress Releases
                Speeches & Testimony
                Photos
                Videos
                Media ContactsMenu OFFICE OF RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND TECHNOLOGY AT THE TURNER-FAIRBANK HIGHWAY RESEARCH CENTER Home
                        Research
                        Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
                        Research and Technology Portfolio


            
            In This Section
        Explore Research and Technology
                About Research and Technology
                Research and Technology Program Portfolio
                Corporate Research and Partnerships
                                Corporate Research and Partnerships Overview
                Exploratory Advanced Research
                Small Business Innovation Research
                Federal Lands Highway
                                Federal Lands Highway Overview
                Federal Lands Highway Research
                Infrastructure Research and Development
                                Infrastructure R&D Overview
                Construction and Project Management
                Structures
                Pavement and Materials
                Deployment of Pavement Technologies
                Transportation Performance Management
                Geotechnical and Hydraulics
                Long-Term Infrastructure Performance
                Innovative Program Delivery
                                Innovative Program Delivery Overview
                Every Day Counts
                State Transportation Innovation Councils
                Innovative Finance and Delivery
                Accelerating Market Readiness
                Accelerated Innovation Deployment
                Operations Research and Development
                                Operations R&D Overview
                Connected and Automated Vehicles
                Traffic Systems Management and Operations
                Freight
                Truck Size and Weight
                Disruptions
                Planning, Environment, and Realty
                                Planning, Environment, and Realty Overview
                Performance-Based Planning
                Resiliency
                Project Delivery
                Modeling and Analysis
                Multimodal Planning and Underserved Communities
                Policy
                                Policy Overview
                Policy Analysis
                Global Outreach
                Transportation Data
                Safety Research and Development
                                Safety R&D Overview
                Program Delivery
                Safety Design and Operations
                Human Factors
                Safety Data and Analysis
                
                R&T Portfolio: Policy Analysis
    

    
    
    
      The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) policy analysis research evaluates the impacts of a broad range of policy options and analyzes the impacts of current or emerging issues that will affect transportation systems and projects. The program examines the impact of national transportation strategies and investments to determine which strategies are producing the greatest benefit for the American people. The research provides an empirical analysis of potential regulatory or deregulatory actions, policy options, or planning benchmarks and positions FHWA uses to develop smart policy as technology develops. The outcomes of this policy research improve the efficiency of Federal investment in highway transportation.

Program Objectives:

Identify cost-effective strategies and investment levels for the Nation’s highways overall, for regulatory or programmatic actions, and to support grant programs.
	Provide the insights and forecasts required to develop effective policies reflecting emerging transportation trends in technology, costs, travel behavior, and economic vitality at the national, regional, and local levels.
	Identify additional future policy options and considerations through the inclusion of outside expert perspectives through means such as organized symposia.

            Expand All
      Collapse All
        **Conditions and Performance Forecasting**
        Analysis of the impact of investment on the conditions and performance of the Nation’s highways and bridges provides the basis for evaluating future highway investment needs. Conditions and performance forecasting provides the basis for identifying and prioritizing performance-based investment levels.

Spotlight Project: Conditions and Performance (C&P) Report

"Cover of the Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges, and Transit: Conditions and Performance, 23rd edition report to Congress."

The C&P Reports, dating back to 1968, provide decisionmakers with an objective appraisal of the physical conditions, operational performance, and financing mechanisms of highways, bridges, and transit systems based on both their current state and their projected future state under a set of alternative future investment scenarios. These reports offer a comprehensive, data-driven background context to support the development and evaluation of legislative, program, and budget options at all levels of Government.

Image source: FHWA.
  


      **Transportation and the Economy**
        FHWA studies the broad economic impact of investment in infrastructure through the Transportation and the Economy program element. FHWA models economic impact and job creation based on transportation, industry, and other data.

Spotlight Project: JOBMOD

"Construction personnel working on a road."

To assess the employment impacts of different types of road and bridge investments, FHWA, in partnership with Battelle Memorial Institute, and Boston University Center for Transportation Studies, created JOBMOD—now updated to JOBMOD2—which is an economic model that evaluates the impact of different highway infrastructure project types based on the expenditure of Federal funds.

Image source: FHWA.
  


      **Benefit-Cost Analysis**
        The Benefit-Cost Analysis program conducts analysis in support of FHWA proposed changes to regulations and in support of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Office of the Secretary (OST) initiatives.

Spotlight Project: Use of Benefit-Cost Analysis by State Departments of Transportation: Report to Congress

"A cost/benefit graphic with "cost" as the vertical axis, "benefit" as the horizontal axis and two, dashed lines intersecting. A push pin is stuck into the image along the "benefit' axis."

The study responds to a congressional report requesting that USDOT “evaluate the use of benefit-cost analysis by State departments of transportation (State DOTs)” and address the following topic areas: extent to which State DOTs use benefit-cost analysis when making decisions and setting priorities; quality of such analysis; challenges that State DOTs face when trying to use benefit-cost analysis; and strategies for addressing those challenges.

Image copyright: Pricelessphotos © 2015 123RF.com.
  


      **Emerging Trends and Future Demands**
        The Emerging Trends and Future Demands program element assesses the potential for emerging transportation technologies, modal options, and sociodemographic factors to reshape future travel demand and performance. An area of focus for this *demand side* research addresses the potential value, costs, and system performance implications of automated vehicles (AVs) and on-demand modes for future travel behavior and associated future system needs and performance.

Spotlight Project: The Next Generation of Travel: Research, Analysis, and Scenario Development

"Abstract graphic illustrated with binary numbers and swooping lines."

The report summarizes findings from FHWA research on trends related to the travel behavior of youth. Its objective is to provide answers to questions about youth travel trends and identify factors that significantly affect travel decisions and shape the ways youth travel.

Image copyright: Kentoh © 2016 123RF.com.
  


      **Highway Costs and Funding Options**
        The Highway Costs and Funding Options program element reviews the costs of constructing and maintaining highway infrastructure, and assesses means of funding highway infrastructure. Products of this program, such as the National Highway Construction Cost Index (NHCCI) and the Unified Pavement Distress Analysis and Prediction Systems help FHWA and its partners understand the costs and needs of highway infrastructure.

Spotlight Project: NHCCI

The NHCCI is a quarterly price index intended to measure national average changes in highway construction costs over time. FHWA uses data on State web postings of winning bids on highway construction contracts. The data represent State- and project-level details on prices and quantities of pay items for those winning contracts.
  


      **Transportation Options Analysis**
        The Transportation Options Analysis program element is studying barriers to rural mobility, economic growth, and safety in rural transportation.

Spotlight Project: Define Geotypologies for Analyzing Transportation Policy Impacts: Closing the Gap Between Current and Potential Accessibility

"Illustration - Infrastructure bridge with hazy sky and skyscrapers in the background"

The project aims to create a set of geotypologies—or geotypes—that defines regions in terms of their primary travel demand drivers rather than current travel patterns. Defining geotypes solely as a function of geoeconomic and geospatial factors will allow for a broader understanding of the likely impact of transportation policies and infrastructure investments on travel patterns in different geotypes. One of the primary benefits of constructing a set of geotypes is to enable the possibility of modeling transportation outcomes for multiple regions that share common characteristics, using publicly available data.

Image copyright: Vectomart © 2014 123RF.com.
  


      **Policy Development**
        To identify and develop research efforts, the Policy Development program hosts symposia and performs strategic programming to improve our understanding of established and emerging issues.

Spotlight Project: Access to Smart City Transportation, FHWA National Transportation Policy Symposium

As part of the Policy Symposium Series, FHWA brought together national and global experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities with smart transportation systems. Discussants represented leadership from local, State and Federal Governments, academia, policy organizations, private companies, and the European Commission.Contact Us

**Office of Policy and Governmental Affairs**
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
United States

Related Links

Office of Policy home

    
          Last updated: Wednesday, June 8, 2022 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

**Federal Highway Administration**

1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

202-366-4000Subscribe to email updates
                    About
  

        
              About FHWA
                Careers
                Org Chart
                Staff Directories
                Work with UsPrograms
  

        
              Acquisition Management
                Civil Rights
                Federal Lands Highway
                Infrastructure
                Innovative Program Delivery
                Operations
                Planning, Environment, and Realty
                Policy
                Research, Development, and Technology
                SafetyPolicies, Rights, Legal
  

        
              About DOT
                Accessibility
                Budget and Performance
                Civil Rights
                FOIA
                Information Quality
                No FEAR Act
                Office of Inspector General
                Privacy Policy
                USA.gov
                Web Policies and Notices
                Web StandardsNews & Events
  

        
              Newsroom
                Press Releases
                Speeches & Testimony
                Media Contacts
                Connect with Us