Infrastructure

The Federal-Aid Highway Program (FAHP) is transitioning to a more performance-based approach. Our partners are implementing multiple data-driven practices to support their investment decisionmaking. These include the implementation of asset and performance management programs and processes. In 2017, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) established national performance measures and a framework to carry out a performance-based Federal highway program. Absent future changes in legislation, monitoring program performance through the tracking of specific performance targets and measures is how the FAHP will be managed.

Investments of Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) and National Highway Performance Program (NHPP) program funds result in safer, longer-lasting infrastructure. These funds can be used to improve the National Highway System (NHS), which handles approximately 55 percent of the Nation’s Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and about 83 percent of truck travel, including most of the heavy truck movement across multiple State lines. Of the more than 145,000 bridges on the NHS, 4,842 were still classified in Poor Condition in 2017.

Operational improvements provide real and proven impacts on congestion and travel time reliability in urban and rural areas, as well as system resiliency to disruptions. Operational strategies can increase capacity in certain environments at lower costs than other forms of new capacity. Improvements in rural highway operations, such as road weather management and incident management, can have significant impacts.

Funding and technical assistance for freight movement is directed to State and local partners that manage much of the roadway infrastructure used by trucks, while other modal freight infrastructure (i.e., rail, ports, and some airports) is privately owned. While most freight moves by commercial truck, greater use of multiple freight modes and operators, including railroads, ports, and trucking companies, is likely to bring more attention to the condition and performance of multimodal and intermodal connectors.

Key Programs and Initiatives

FHWA will encourage and help State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) implement the Transportation Performance and Asset Management approach to strengthen their investment decisionmaking, which will enhance program accountability to Congress and the public for the expenditure of tax dollars. Through this program, FHWA will:

• Help raise transportation agency proficiency levels in the core competencies of performance management;
• Work with partner agencies on site to implement new requirements;
• Develop new capabilities to support improvements in data quality, data analysis, and investment planning; and
• Communicate progress, outcomes, and national stories to the public on transportation performance.

Lead Officials: Associate Administrators (AAs) for Safety, Infrastructure, Operations, and Planning, Environment and Realty.

Key Programs and Initiatives

By continuing efforts to ensure that the public and private sectors are collaborating on planning and investment, FHWA will encourage solutions that are more relevant; and leverage the capabilities of the public and private sectors to improve the benefits of solving efficiency, reliability, and safety challenges.

• FHWA will seek to improve the institutional capability and business processes of public agency partners by enabling them to achieve more effective system management. Enhancing operational roles and responsibilities ensures greater ability to utilize resources effectively to better enable long-term commitment to address both recurring traffic problems as well as system disruptions (e.g., incidents, work zones, and adverse weather).
• States are required to complete statewide freight plans before they can obligate National Highway Freight Program (NHFP) funding on the National Highway Freight Network as well as designate critical urban and rural freight corridors. Many State DOTs, in coordination with FHWA, industry, and other stakeholders have established State Freight Advisory Committees to discuss these important issues, coordinate efforts, and identify freight infrastructure needs and investments.

Lead Officials: AAs for Operations and Planning, Environment and Realty.