FHWA outlines its plan to pursue the next generation of high-risk, high-payoff technologies and innovations to solve critical highway challenges.
One FHWA-sponsored advanced research project involved installing fiber-optic sensors along steel rebar in a beam. The sensor systems can be used on "smart" bridges to detect damage and count traffic.
One FHWA-sponsored advanced research project involved installing fiber-optic sensors along steel rebar in a beam. The sensor systems can be used on "smart" bridges to detect damage and count traffic. Photo:
Fully automated highway systems, super concretes and smart aggregates with embedded sensors able to nondestructively diagnose problems, and self-healing pavements—are these the future of transportation? No one knows for sure, but as Benjamin Franklin once said, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." And history has shown that investments in advanced research have led to significant breakthroughs including space travel, nuclear energy, and the Internet.
The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) authorized a substantial increase in Federal spending on "exploratory advanced research," in the amount of $14 million per year. With this support, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has embarked on a path to greater investment in high-risk, high-payoff research, aiming for breakthroughs with the potential to change surface transportation as the world knows it.
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