Transportation Research Funding

Funding for Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA's) Research and Technology (R&T) Program is provided under Title 23 of the U.S. Code, Chapter 5: Research, Technology, and Education, as amended by Division A, Title III of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (Public Law 117-58, also known as the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law”). The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) is the largest long-term investment in our infrastructure and economy in our Nation’s history. It provides $550 billion over fiscal years 2022 through 2026 in new Federal investment in infrastructure, including in roads, bridges, and mass transit, water infrastructure, resilience, and broadband. The BIL provides authorization for FHWA to use funds from the Highway Trust Fund in fiscal year (FY) 2022 through FY 2026 to conduct R&T activities, which include the FHWA-administered Highway Research and Development Program (HRD), the Technology and Innovation Deployment Program (TIDP), and the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program.
The HRD is authorized at $147 million each fiscal year 2022–2026. Of the total authorized for the HRD Program, the BIL requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to set aside:

• The Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection: $15 million for each of FYs 2022 – FY 2026. 
• The National Motor Vehicle Per-Mile User Fee Pilot Program: $10 million for each of FYs 2022 – FY 2026
• An unspecified amount for each of FYs 2022–2026 as one component of the $60 million in funding for the Advanced Transportation Technologies and Innovative Mobility Deployment Program. 
• Up to $10 million for each of FYs 2022–2026 for Performance Management Data Support.

TIDP is authorized at $110 million each FY 2022–2026. The following amounts are to be set aside from the amounts authorized for the TIDP Program:

• $12 million for each of FYs 2022–2026 to accelerate the deployment and implementation of pavement technology.
• An unspecified amount for each of FYs 2022–2026 as one component of the $60 million in funding for the Advanced Transportation Technologies and Innovative Mobility Deployment Program.
• Accelerated Implementation and Deployment of Advanced Digital Construction Management Systems Program: $20 million for each of FYs 2022 – FY 2026

The ITS Program is authorized at $110 million each year FY 2022–2026. Of the total authorized for the ITS Program, the FAST Act requires the DOT to set aside an unspecified amount for each of FYs 2022–2026 as one component of the $60 million in funding for the Advanced Transportation Technologies and Innovative Mobility Deployment Program.

Additionally, States are required to set aside funds for the State Planning and Research (SP&R) Program. Funding is provided for SP&R by a 2 percent set-aside from each State's apportionments of five programs: the National Highway Performance Program (NHPP); the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBGP); the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP); and the Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) Program; and the National Highway Freight Program (NHFP). At least 25 percent of these funds must be used for research, development, and technology purposes. States use these funds to conduct research aimed at solving specific transportation issues at the State level, or States may leverage these funds by applying them toward Transportation Pooled Fund projects. States can also use these funds as the non-Federal match for Local/Tribal Technical Assistance Program Centers and for the University Transportation Centers.