Today’s transportation policy shapes how Americans will commute and travel for years to come. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is responsible for monitoring the impact that highway investment has on the U.S. transportation system and for evaluating the potential benefits of new strategies. FHWA’s policy research examines existing domestic and international policies to determine what strategies improve the safety, efficiency, and longevity of the U.S. highway transportation system.

FHWA’s Office of Policy and Governmental Affairs has a broad range of research and development (R&D) activities. These R&D activities include research to:

• Improve the policies and strategies of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and FHWA.
• Analyze domestic policies to understand the impacts that investments have on the transportation system and determine which strategies generate the greatest benefit.
• Partner across the globe to synchronize research efforts and learn from the policies of other countries.
• Collect, analyze, and distribute critical transportation data.
• Develop and deploy technical guidance and methods as related to timely and quality transportation data collection through partnering with other Federal agencies, State DOTs, local governments, and private businesses and research entities.

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