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Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)

Fact Sheets on Highway Provisions

FUTURE STRATEGIC HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM (F-SHRP)

Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Authorization $0 $51.25M $51.25M $51.25M $51.25M

Program Purpose

The program provides for a time-specific, concentrated, short-term and results-oriented research program focused on solving the top problems of highway safety, reliability, capacity, and renewal.

Statutory References

SAFETEA-LU Section: 5210

Funding

Funded from Surface Transportation Research, authorization in 5101(a)(1). Funds are contract authority, to remain available for 4 years, and may not be transferred. Federal share is 100%.

Program Administration

Projects and researches must, to the maximum extent practicable, be selected on merit basis through open solicitation; State and other stakeholders to be involved in governance of program; Council to acquire a permanent core staff; no duplication of effort with other Departmental research. Provides for limitation of remedies, treatment of individuals associated with F-SHRP activities as Federal employees, and payment of claims. Programmatic evaluation to be conducted by Comptroller General within 3 years.

Program Features

The Secretary, in consultation with AASHTO, will carry out a future strategic highway research program through the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.

F-SHRP will issue requests for proposals, award contracts, conduct research, and disseminate research results as defined in Special Report 260 (Strategic Highway Research: Saving Lives, Reducing Congestion, Improving Quality of Life) and NCHRP Report 510 (Interim Planning for a Future Strategic Highway Research Program) to support the priority areas of:

  • renewal – accelerate renewal of aging infrastructure through a consistent, systematic approach that is rapid, causes minimum disruption, and produces long-lived facilities.
  • safety –prevent or reduce the severity of highway crashes through more accurate knowledge of crash factors and of the cost-effectiveness of countermeasures in addressing these factors.
  • reliability – provide a highway system with reliable travel times by preventing and reducing the impact of nonrecurring congestion.
  • capacity –develop approaches and tools for systematically integrating environmental, economic, and community requirements into the analysis, planning, and design of new highway capacity.

Report to Congress on strategies and administrative structure for implementation of results must be prepared by TRB, in consultation with stakeholders, and submitted to Congress by February 1, 2009. Must include identification of most promising results, potential incentives/impediments to implementation, estimate of costs, recommendations for future implementation.


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