Detailed Planning for Research on Accelerating the Renewal of America’s Highways

Project Details
STATUS

Completed

START DATE

04/15/02

END DATE

04/15/06

RESEARCH CENTERS InTrans, CTRE
SPONSORS

National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP)

Researchers
Principal Investigator
Tom Cackler
Co-Principal Investigator
Stephen Andrle

About the research

America?’s economy relies on highways. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, as reported in Transportation Research Board (TRB) Special Report 260: Strategic Highway Research (2001), highways carry 90 percent of passenger trips and 69 percent of freight value. They also provide passenger and freight links to all other modes of transportation. The highway network is made up of 3.9 million miles of highways and local roads. This network is largely built but does not last forever. It must be periodically renewed. For the purposes of this report, highway “renewal” is defined as preservation, rehabilitation, or reconstruction. The need for major renewal is clear. How to fund this work, deliver the projects without public outcry over the delays, and deliver a superior highway product is not so clear. Thus, the research described in this report is needed to enable renewal to be accomplished while “providing outstanding customer service for the 21st century.”

Links to the final reports and an overview brochure are available on the TRB project page.

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