The rHUD is a staff-level working committee that supports the Innovation and Research Council’s (IRC) Bi-Annual Research Program. The rHUD pulls together research and researchers from across Federal Land Management Agency (FLMA) Partners, FLH (Discipline Champions), and FHWA Research Development and Technology (RD&T). The objective is to define research roadmaps and consequential steps that benefit owners and operators of networks that provide access to and within Public Lands.
The allocation of RD&T funding represents collaborative investment into value-adding projects that answer problems faced by FLMAs, typically problems that address networks that are characteristically less heavily traveled than Interstate highways, and based in the mission of the FLMAs.
The rHUD is a venue to share research resources amongst FLMAs so allocated funding is leveraged wisely toward the unique needs of Partners. Agency Research Programs and Laboratories can be a source of information. Research Libraries are another source.
The major roles of the rHUD are to:
- Review and provide input on future research proposals to inform IRC decision making
- Assist with the deployment of completed research, when applicable
- Convey subject matter expertise
rHUD Activities
Open season for the FY25-27 IRC Research Program will begin by February 2024. Check back for more details in December 2023/January 2024.
Federal Research Libraries
U.S. DOT, FHWA, and Federal Land Management Agency (FLMA) research libraries that are repositories for research activities and reports that relate to transportation and public lands.
Other Research Programs/Laboratories
- Bureau of Land Management Scientific Research
- Bureau of Reclamation Research & Development Office
- National Park Service Science and Research
- National Technical Reports Library (NTIS)
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Science Applications
- U.S. Forest Service Research & Development
IRC Research Program: Project Profiles
You can review Project Profiles for current IRC Research Projects by clicking on the project name in the list below, organized by research category (searchable database is in development).
- Risk-Based Asset Management
- Development of Geospatial Tools
- Targeted Maintenance on Low Volume Roads and Applying FHWA’s Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Framework to Tribal Communities
- Alternative Approaches to Inspections for Federal Land Management Agencies Roads
- Evaluating the Use of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Inspection of In-Service Steel Bridges
- Utilizing Emerging Data-Collecting Bicycle Technology to Efficiently Conduct Trail Condition Assessments
- Developing an Automated Geospatial Model-based Decision Support Tool for Assessing Road Culvert Vulnerability
- Low Speed W-Beam Guardrail Terminal
- Bridge Curb/Railing and Approach Treatment for Extremely Low Volume Roads
- Development of Safety and Traffic Data Collection System and Analysis Framework for Federal Lands Highway
- Systemic Pedestrian Safety for Rural Tribal Areas
- Edge Lane Roads on Public Lands
- Speed Management Safety Strategies at FLMA Gateway Locations