Highway Research: Current Programs and Future Directions

This report describes the United States' highway industry and the major highway research and technology (R&T) programs. It then introduces a new framework for classifying highway R&T activities, maps the 1993 expenditures of the major public-sector programs on this framework, and presents suggestions and recommendations for the highway R&T program that reflect the Transportation Research Board's Research and Technology Coordinating Committee's vision of the needs of the highway transportation system for the next century. The report is organized in six chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction. Chapter 2 profiles the highway industry as a prelude to the summary of existing highway R& T programs presented in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 introduces a framework for classifying highway R&T activities according to their underlying rationale. Chapter 5 maps existing programs on this framework and presents some conclusions about the overall balance of current R&T activities and where some redirection of emphasis is needed. Chapter 6 presents some suggestions and recommendations for the highway R&T program that reflect the committee's vision of the highway transportation system needs for the next century.