The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Infrastructure Research and Development (R&D) conducts and oversees programs and projects that address critical highway infrastructure needs and priorities of national importance. Studies focus on the design, materials, construction, operation, and preservation of highway pavements, bridges, culverts, tunnels, and other structures. In addition, the Office of Infrastructure R&D provides expert technical assistance to other FHWA offices, other Federal agencies, State and local transportation organizations, industry, and academic institutions.

Using stakeholder input to derive research approaches, the Office of Infrastructure R&D provides state-of-the-art knowledge and tools with the goal of improving the safety, performance, and cost effectiveness of the Nation’s highway infrastructure, while minimizing the impacts that highway construction, operations, maintenance, and rehabilitation may have on the environment. The contributions of stakeholders from across the highway infrastructure spectrum in the development and execution of multiyear R&D plans and roadmaps are key to the success of the office.

The work conducted by the Office of Infrastructure R&D teams is supported by a number of programs at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center. These include:

Programs

• Asset Management, Preservation, and Maintenance
• Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Infrastructure
• Construction and Project Management
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Geotechnology Research Program
• Hydraulics
• Long-Term Infrastructure Performance
  • Long-Term Bridge Performance
  • Long-Term Pavement Performance
• Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC)