Exploratory Advanced 

Research (EAR) Program

Highlights

Thank you for visiting the Federal Highway Administration’s EAR Program booth at the 

2024 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting.

The EAR Program addresses the need for longer term, higher risk research that has the 

potential for transformative improvements to transportation systems. Here are references for 

the recent and current EAR Program projects that were highlighted at the booth to illustrate the 

kinds of improvements this program cultivates. 

© Texas A&M Transportation Institute. Traffic modeling relies on data from highways such as the Lyndon B Johnson Freeway in Dallas, TX.

USING BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS TO BETTER 

UNDERSTAND MANAGED LANE CHOICE 

Safer, More Reliable Transportation 

with Behavioral Economics: 

Cellphone Use and Managed Lane 

Choice. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/

publications/research/

ear/20013/20013.pdf.

NOVEL APPROACHES TO AGE-RESISTANT BINDERS 

Researching Novel Approaches for 

Aging Resistant Binder Technologies. 

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/

research/ear/20051/20051.pdf.

MIMIC: MULTIDISCIPLINARY INITIATIVE ON METHODS TO 

INTEGRATE AND CREATE ARTIFICIAL REALISTIC DATA 

MIMIC—Multidisciplinary Initiative on 

Methods to Integrate and Create 

Artificial Realistic Data. https://

highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/

files/FHWA-HRT-23-015.pdf.

Multidisciplinary Initiative to Create 

and Integrate Realistic Artificial 

Datasets. https://highways.dot.gov/

sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/FHWAHRT-23-058.pdf.

Realistic Artificial Datasets: Objective 

Evaluation of Data-Driven Safety 

Analysis Models. https://www.fhwa.

dot.gov/publications/research/

ear/20047/20047.pdf.
EXPLORATORY ADVANCEDRESEARCH

Exploratory Advanced 

Research (EAR) Program

Highlights

SUPPLEMENTARY CEMENTITIOUS 

MATERIALS PROJECTS: 

Nontraditional and Natural Pozzolan-Based SCMs or 

Inorganic Polymers for Transportation Infrastructure

PERFORMANCE-BASED CLASSIFICATION 

METHODS FOR RECLAIMED FLY ASH

Supplementary Cementitious Material 

Advancements: Helping to Make 

Longer Lasting Concrete Highways 

and Transportation Structures. 

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/

research/ear/20048/20048.pdf.

AUTOMATED VIDEO PROCESSING ALGORITHMS TO 

DETECT AND CLASSIFY HIGH-LEVEL BEHAVIORS 

The Role of Artificial Intelligence and 

Machine Learning in Federally 

Supported Surface Transportation 

2022 Updates https://www.fhwa.dot.

gov/publications/research/

ear/22026/22026.pdf.

VIDEO ANALYTICS FOR AUTOMATIC ANNOTATION OF 

DRIVER BEHAVIOR AND DRIVING SITUATIONS IN 

NATURALISTIC DRIVING DATA

The Role of Artificial Intelligence and 

Machine Learning in Federally 

Supported Surface Transportation 

2022 Updates https://www.fhwa.dot.

gov/publications/research/

ear/22026/22026.pdf.

USE OF WASTE PLASTICS IN ASPHALT

Improving the Compatibility of Waste 

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/

publications/research/

ear/21084/21084.pdf.

To learn more about these projects, 

follow this quick response code or 

URL to the website.

Recommended citation: Federal Highway Administration, 

Exploratory Advanced Research Program Highlights

(Washington, DC: 2023) https://doi.org/10.21949/1521908

FHWA-HRT-24-019

HRTM-30/12-23(XX)E

https://highways.dot.gov/

research/research-programs/

exploratory-advancedresearch/about-exploratoryadvanced-research-program