U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000


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Major Projects

 
 

Major Projects

The delivery of large transportation projects involves a myriad of processes and a high level of coordination among all stakeholders. Transportation agencies play a significant role in the implementation of a project from its inception to its construction, with responsibilities that include estimating and controlling costs, ensuring the fulfillment of environmental and Federal requirements, obtaining adequate financing, and overall managing the various parties involved in bringing the project to a successful completion; and tracking and documenting Lessons Learned and Best practices. For Major Projects, defined by the FHWA as projects requiring Federal assistance over $500 million in cost, the processes and Federal requirements involved in project delivery become more complex, rendering it more challenging, but even more important, for the process to be well-managed.

The Major Projects Team is tasked with documenting best practices in project delivery, providing technical assistance to transportation agencies, and overseeing the FHWA Major Project delivery process in the delivery of projects which require Federal assistance. These webpages contain detailed information and guidelines on the tools and programs—Cost Estimating, Financial Plans, and Project Management Plans—mandated by Congress and the FHWA for delivering Major Projects. Also available are other resources that share lessons learned from past Major Projects and the FHWA Project Delivery Lessons Learned Program, which includes Lessons Learned in delivering all types of Federal-aid projects.

Prior to the enactment of SAFETEA-LU in August 2005, projects with over $1 billion in construction costs were designated as "Mega Projects". SAFETEA-LU lowered the monetary threshold from an estimated total cost of $1 billion to $500 million or greater, and the term "Mega Project" has since been eliminated and replaced with the term "Major Project."

Updated: 08/25/2023
Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000