Reports for completed evaluations are available to view here.

Evaluation Overview

Highway research—when adopted and implemented appropriately—has the potential to save lives, conserve funds, reduce congestion and travel times, increase business productivity, extend infrastructure life, and alleviate strain on the environment. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) partners with State departments of transportation (DOTs), local agencies, industry, and academia both to conduct research on issues of national significance and accelerate adoption and deployment of promising research products. FHWA recently initiated the Research and Technology (R&T) Evaluation Program to assess and communicate the benefits of its R&T efforts and to ensure that the organization is expending public resources efficiently and effectively. FHWA developed the R&T Evaluation Program with encouragement from the Transportation Research Board’s Research and Technology Coordinating Committee.

Evaluation Projects

In fiscal year (FY) 2014, the FHWA R&T Evaluation Program worked with 9 FHWA offices to identify and scope 22 projects for evaluation across all program areas. Formal evaluation began in FY15. Several projects have an extended timeline because of the length of the research projects being evaluated. After completion, the evaluation reports will be prepared for publication. The current status of the projects is shown below. 

Completed Evaluations

• Adaptive Signal Control Technologies (2016)
• Gusset Plates (2016)
• National Household Travel Survey (2016)
• Roadside Revegetation (2016)
• Roundabouts (2016)
• Agent Based Modeling and Simulations (2017)
• Eco-Logical (2017)
• Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Integrated Bridge System (2017)
• Public-Private Partnership Capacity Building (2017)
• Traffic Incident Management (2017)
• Managing Risk on Rapid Renewal Projects (2018)
• Precast Concrete Pavements (2018)
• eNEPA (2020)
• High Friction Surface Treatments (2021)
• Innovative Intersection Design (2020)
• Truck Platooning (2021)
• Vehicle Operating Costs (2022)
• Asphalt Binder Quality Tester (2022)
• Exploratory Advanced Research Program
• UHPC Connections

In Progress

• High Recycle Warm-Mix Asphalt (pending publication in 2020)
• CARMA (suspended)