The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) plays a key leadership role in sponsoring, sustaining, and guiding highway research. As a leader in the transportation research and technology (R&T) field, FHWA is working to improve its R&T program and to deploy innovations and technologies.

Managers and staff at the FHWA are responsible for R&T, particularly in functional areas that develop and set the R&T Agenda for that subject, focus, or program area. These functional areas reflect FHWA's mission, support strategic goals, and engage internal and external stakeholders.

To view further information about FHWA programs, click on the links below or use the navigation menu to the left.

Core Highway Programs and Topics

Cross-Topic Areas 

• Automation
• Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Infrastructure
• Big Data
• Connected Vehicle Research Program
• Data Security
• National Security

Exploratory Advanced Research

• Breakthrough Concepts in Material Science
• Connected Highway and Vehicle System Concepts
• Focus Areas
• Human Behavior and Travel Choices
• New Technology and Advanced Policies for Energy and Resource Conservation
• Technology for Assessing Performance

Office of Federal Lands Highway

• Defense Access Roads (DAR)
• Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO)
• Federal Lands Access Program
• Federal Lands Planning Program (FLPP)
• Federal Lands Transportation Program
• Nationally Signification Federal Lands and Tribal Projects
• Program Evaluation
• Stewardship and Oversight
• Tribal Transportation
• Tribal Transportation Program

Infrastructure

• Asset Management, Preservation, and Maintenance
• Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Infrastructure
• Construction and Project Management
• Geotechnical Engineering
  • Geotechnical Laboratory
  • Geotechnology Research Program
• Hydraulics
  • J. Sterling Jones Hydraulics Research Laboratory
• Long-Term Infrastructure Performance
  • Long-Term Bridge Performance
  • Long-Term Pavement Performance
• Pavement and Materials
  • Aggregate and Petrographic Laboratory
  • Asphalt Binder and Mixtures Laboratory
  • Chemistry Laboratory
  • Coatings and Corrosion Laboratory
  • Concrete Laboratory
  • Pavement Testing Facility
• Structures
  • Nondestructive Evaluation Laboratory
  • Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC)
  • Structures Laboratory

Innovative Program Delivery

• Economic Recovery
• Federal-aid and Financing
• Federal and Indian Lands Funding
• Innovative Finance Program
• Public-Private Partnerships
• Status of the Highway Trust Fund
• Tolling and Pricing Program
• Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA)

Intelligent Transportation Systems

Operations

•  
• Accessible Transportation Technologies Research Initiative
• Automated Vehicles
  • Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation
  • CARMA^SM
  • CARMA Collaboration Opportunities ^SM 
  • CARMA Engagement/Collaboration ^SM
  • CARMA Products ^SM
  • CARMA Program Overview
  • Integrating Advanced Technologies to Actively Manage Traffic
  • Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory
• Connected Vehicle Research
  • Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office
• Freight/Goods Movement
• Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
• Security
• Tolling and Pricing Program
• Transportation Systems Management and Operations
  • Emergency Response
  • National Traffic and Road Closure Information
  • Real-Time Traveler Information
  • Speed Management
  • Transportation Management

Planning, Environment, and Realty

• Accelerating Project Delivery/Environmental Process
• Air Quality Analytical tools and methods/Mobile Source Ari Toxics (MSAT)
• Alternative Fuel Corridors/Electric Vehicles
• Bicycle and Pedestrian/Multimodal
• CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality)
• Conformity
• Connected/Autonomous Vehicles
• Context Sensitive Solutions/Livability
• Community Impacts (Public Involvement/Health/Environmental Justice/Civil Rights)
• Economic Development
• Fiscal Constraint and Financial Planning
• Freight Planning
• International and Border Planning
• Metropolitan Transportation Planning
• National Economic Networks
• National Highway System
• Noise
• Outdoor Advertising and Junkyard Control Programs
• Performance Based Planning and Programming
• Realty
• Resiliency and Adaptation
• Safety Planning
• Scenario Planning and Visualization
• Statewide/Non-Metropolitan (rural) Transportation Planning
• Sustainability
• Travel Model Improvement Program
• Tribal Lands
• Federal Lands

Policy

• Highway Data/System Performance
• Laws, Regulations, Policy and Directives
• National Household Travel Survey

Safety

• Human Factors Analytics
  • Human Factors
  • Traffic Control Device Pooled Fund
• Safety Data and Analysis
  • Data and Analysis
  • Evaluation of Low Cost Safety Improvements Pooled Fund Study
  • Highway Safety Information System
  • In-Service Performance Evaluation Resources (ISPE)
  • Interactive Highway Safety Design Model
  • Motorcycle Crash Causation Study
  • Naturalistic Driving Study Pooled Fund
  • Safety Training and Analysis Center
  • Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM)
• Safety Design and Operations
  • Intersections
  • Roadway Departure
  • Pedestrian / Bicycle
  • Local and Rural Roads
• Safety Program Delivery
  • Highway Safety Improvement Program
  • Roadway Safety Capacity Building Program

Small Business Innovation Research