Safer, smarter, more cost-effective, and more sustainable. Though sometimes unseen, the technologies and products developed through the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) research and technology (R&T) programs are improving the Nation’s roads and bridges coast to coast, saving lives, supporting the economy, and reducing congestion. Whether reflected in the more durable surfaces of the roads and bridges we travel on regularly, better designed intersections, smarter traffic lights that are more responsive to traffic flow, or the surrounding businesses and communities supported by a strong highway system, transportation R&T is making a difference every day. These efforts are being advanced through FHWA’s Every Day Counts initiative, which is designed to identify and deploy proven, ready-to-go innovation aimed at shortening project delivery, enhancing roadway safety, and protecting the environment. Through partnerships with State and local transportation agencies, industry, and academia, we are also creating a better future. Advanced research is sponsoring long-term projects with a high payoff potential, while sustainability initiatives aim to build highways and structures that reduce impacts on the environment and consumption of natural resources. FHWA also provides leadership in assessing the impact of new technologies, obtaining valuable data that will help guide future research efforts. Leading the way on high priority research in everything from pavement materials to the human factors that contribute to safer roads, FHWA’s R&T programs are developing the solutions that will define tomorrow’s highway system. In the many innovations and groundbreaking technologies described here, learn about the value these R&T initiatives are contributing nationwide and get a glimpse of an even brighter transportation future. (Author/publisher) This report may be accessed by Internet users at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/general/11053/index.cfm
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