ABOUT US

The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) is the 

premier center for infrastructure, operations, and safety highway research that advances innovations to benefit 

the traveling public. The facility houses 15 state-of-the-art laboratories that address some of the Nation’s most 

pressing transportation issues. We provide objective, high-quality technical expertise, research, and leadership 

to ensure a safer, equitable, and efficient transportation system. Our work enhances the quality of life of all 

Americans by improving their everyday interactions with the highway system.

AGGREGATE AND 

PETROGRAPHIC LABORATORY

This laboratory evaluates, prepares, and 

tests the components of materials used 

in roadway construction to uncover 

vulnerabilities and evaluate durability. 

Bringing together the expertise of 

accomplished geologists and petrographers, 

this laboratory studies the materials that 

will make American roadways safe, 

reliable, and durable well into the future.

ASPHALT BINDER AND 

MIXTURES LABORATORY

By closely examining the physical properties 

of paving materials, researchers in this 

laboratory can determine the strength, 

stiffness, and ductility (i.e., the degree to 

which a material can be drawn or plastically 

deformed under stress before failure) of our 

Nation’s roadways. This laboratory’s primary 

mission is to characterize the behavior of 

paving materials to ensure the highest level 

of resiliency.

CHEMISTRY LABORATORY

This laboratory investigates the impact 

that chemical changes have on roadways 

to understand the causes of road failure 

and damage and discover potential 

performance enhancements. Focusing on 

both current and future transportation 

systems, researchers in this laboratory 

conduct offsite studies and chemical 

research for government agencies and 

private companies.

COATINGS AND CORROSION 

LABORATORY

Daily use, weather exposure, and 

environmental erosion can significantly 

deteriorate the integrity of the Nation’s 

bridges and roadways. The work in this 

laboratory focuses on mitigating that 

damage by developing and analyzing 

innovative coatings to prevent corrosion 

and maintain structural integrity. 

CONCRETE LABORATORY

Studies in this laboratory investigate 

concrete materials, mixture design and 

analysis, and forensics to develop more 

durable, cost-effective, and sustainable 

concrete infrastructure. The innovators here 

continually develop and evaluate new test 

methods, collaborate with academia and 

private industry, and share their capabilities 

with State and other Federal agencies.

FEDERAL OUTDOOR IMPACT 

LABORATORY (FOIL)

Researchers at FOIL study crash events to 

understand the dynamics of an impact. The 

accredited facility stages high-speed motor 

vehicle collisions to measure the resulting 

impact, confirm computer-generated 

predictions, and create mathematical 

models. Ultimately, safety is the primary 

focus of FOIL.

TFHRC LABORATORIES

Source: FHWA. Source: FHWA. Source: FHWA.
FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visit https://highways.dot.gov/research

REFERENCES:

1. American Association of State Highway 

and Transportation Officials. 2014. 

Highway Safety Manual. Washington, DC: 

American Association of State Highway 

and Transportation Officials. https://www.

highwaysafetymanual.org/Pages/default.aspx, 

last accessed September 26, 2023.

2. Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. 

2020. “InSight Data Access Website SHRP2 

Naturalistic Driving Study” (website). 

https://insight.shrp2nds.us/, last accessed 

September 26, 2023.

3. Iowa State University Center for 

Transportation Research Education. n.d. 

“Roadway Information Database (RID)” 

(website). https://ctre.iastate.edu/roadwayinformation-database-rid/, last accessed 

September 26, 2023.

Publication No.: FHWA-HRT-23-081

HRTM-20/09-23(WEB)E

ABOUT US

https://doi.org/10.21949/1521388

GEOMETRIC DESIGN 

LABORATORY

The design elements of highways 

determine key roadway safety, efficacy, 

and longevity issues. Focusing on these 

elements, the Geometric Design Laboratory 

assists in the use and development of tools, 

such as interactive analytic software and 

the Highway Safety Manual, that serve both 

design and research communities.

(1)

GEOTECHNICAL LABORATORY

This laboratory’s researchers study 

the interaction between soil and other 

materials, such as steel, concrete, and 

timber, to understand vulnerabilities 

that may exist in bridge foundations and 

retaining walls. By leveraging TFHRC 

testing facilities and modeling, this 

laboratory discovers innovative solutions 

to practical transportation issues.

HUMAN FACTORS LABORATORY

This laboratory studies the Nation’s 

roadway users—drivers, passengers, 

pedestrians, and bicyclists—to optimize 

their experience and safety. Such studies 

cover roadway design, signage, and 

transportation technology, leveraging 

technologies like virtual reality and 

real-world fieldwork to fully consider the 

roadway user experience. 

J. STERLING JONES 

HYDRAULICS RESEARCH 

LABORATORY

By studying the performance of highway 

drainage, this laboratory aims to limit the 

extensive damage flooding can cause to 

our highway infrastructure. This facility 

investigates critical issues, such as bridge 

scour, using physical experiments and 

modeling to understand the impact of water 

flow on our roadways.

NONDESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION 

(NDE) LABORATORY

This world-class national laboratory is 

tasked with uncovering weaknesses in 

the Nation’s roadways without impacting 

their structural integrity. The NDE 

Laboratory focuses on both existing 

and emerging technologies to improve 

highway infrastructure assets with recently 

upgraded state-of-the-art tools. 

PAVEMENT TESTING FACILITY

The full-scale testing that simulates the 

impact of long-term road use performed 

at this laboratory helps measure the 

durability of the Nation’s roadways. 

Stress-test data collection for new and 

existing pavement materials provides 

insight into the development of smoother, 

more cost-effective highways.

SAFETY TRAINING AND 

ANALYSIS CENTER (STAC)

STAC systems and staff make decades 

of valuable research on roadway safety 

accessible to highway safety stakeholders—

primarily State departments of transportation 

employees. In concert with the Second 

Strategic Highway Research Program’s 

Naturalistic Driving Study and the Roadway 

Information Database, STAC furthers the 

mission of highway safety throughout the 

transportation community.(2,3)

SAXTON TRANSPORTATION 

OPERATIONS LABORATORY 

(STOL) 

STOL serves as a test hub for cutting-edge 

transportation services and technologies 

prior to large-scale research, development, 

testing, and deployment. At this laboratory, 

Federal researchers, contractors, and 

academic personnel collaborate on 

complex issues related to transportation 

system performance, traffic networks, and 

connected vehicles. 

STRUCTURES LABORATORY

This laboratory’s focus on the behavior 

of bridge systems is vital to the Nation’s 

transportation system and its approximately 

600,000 bridges. Studies conducted here 

find ways to improve the safety, durability, 

reliability, and cost effectiveness of 

bridge systems as well as upgrade design 

specifications for future bridges.

TFHRC: Innovating the 

Future of Transportation.

Source: FHWA.