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
• Big Data
• Connected Vehicle Research Program
• Data Security
• National Security

Exploratory Advanced Research

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

Federal and Indian Lands

• Indian Reservation Roads / Bridges
• Park Roads and Parkways
• Public Lands Highways
• Forest Highways
• Refuge Roads
• Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads
• Defense Access Roads
• Transportation Planning

Infrastructure

• Construction and Project Management
• Asset Management, Preservation, and Maintenance
• Geotechnical Engineering
  • Geotechnology Research Program
  • Geotechnical Laboratory
• Hydraulics
  • Hydraulics Laboratory
• Long-Term Infrastructure Performance
  • Long-Term Pavement Performance
  • Long-Term Bridge Performance
• Pavement and Materials
  • Aggregate and Petrographic Laboratory
  • Binder Laboratory
  • Bituminous Mixtures Laboratory
  • Chemistry Laboratory
  • Coatings & Corrosion Laboratory
  • Concrete Laboratory
  • Pavement Testing Facility
• Structures
  • Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC)
  • Nondestructive Evaluation Laboratory
  • 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
  • Cooperative Automated Vehicles
  • Cooperative Automation Research Mobility Applications (CARMA)
  • Integrating Advanced Technologies to Actively Manage Traffic
  • Analysis, Modeling, and Simulation
  • Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory
• Connected Vehicle Research
  • Vehicle to Infrastructure
• Transportation Systems Management and Operations
  • Emergency Response
  • National Traffic and Road Closure Information
  • Real-Time Traveler Information
  • Speed Management
  • Transportation Management
• Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
• Security
• Tolling and Pricing Program
• Freight/Goods Movement

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

• 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
• Human Factors Analytics
  • Human Factors
  • Traffic Control Device Pooled Fund
• Safety Data and Analysis
  • Data and Analysis
  • Motorcycle Crash Causation Study
  • Interactive Highway Safety Design Model
  • In-Service Performance Evaluation Resources (ISPE)
  • Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM)
  • Naturalistic Driving Study Pooled Fund
  • Evaluation of Low Cost Safety Improvements Pooled Fund Study
  • Highway Safety Information System
  • Safety Training and Analysis Center

Small Business Innovation Research