The efficient movement of goods is vital to the nation’s economy, and the National Highway Freight Network (NHFN) plays a central role as the designated framework for supporting freight planning and investment. Congress established the NHFN under 23 U.S.C 167 in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, empowering states and regions to prioritize critical highway freight infrastructure. To help achieve this goal, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center partnered with FHWA’s Office of Freight Management, introducing innovative tools and processes that streamline corridor designations and improve planning accuracy.

The U.S. DOT Volpe Center team applied a combination of geospatial data analysis, business process modeling, and system integration capabilities to modernize the way metropolitan planning organizations (MPO), states, and FHWA collaborate to re-designate and validate NHFN freight corridors. Over the past year, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center developed process flows to guide multiple stakeholders to ensure smooth integration into the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) and improve overall system reliability. The team used geospatial analysis to quickly validate NHFN corridor submissions, reducing FHWA labor costs, and ensuring data accuracy. They worked closely with FHWA to facilitate technical support for states and MPOs, helping stakeholders address discrepancies and clarify submission standards for future cycles.

In addition, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center developed the NHFN submission process, which transitioned states from sending manual PDF maps and tables to using geo-referenced corridor data uploaded through HPMS. This transformation, first piloted in 2024, marked a major milestone, providing a more reliable and efficient pipeline for reviewing submissions. Following lessons learned during the first pilot, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center team updated technical guidance documents in 2025 to reduce common data errors and assist states with submission quality.

The U.S. DOT Volpe Center also delivered a public-facing NHFN visualization tool, informed by feedback from state DOTs, MPOs, and academia. The tool allows users to view designated highway segments, toggle important freight-related layers, and conduct quick spatial analyses by uploading custom datasets. Beta testing in 2024 identified specific improvements, like adding layers of MPO boundaries, to ensure the tool’s functionalities better align with stakeholder needs. Both the updated submission pipeline and the mapping application were major milestones in process modernization.

The public-facing NHFN web mapping application has made it easier for state DOTs and MPOs to analyze corridor designations alongside other critical freight networks, including Strategic Highway Network military routes and National Network oversized/overweight routes.

The complexity of freight corridor designation underscores the importance of the U.S. DOT Volpe Center’s work. Annually, more than 9,000 miles of NHFN critical urban and rural freight corridors are available for re-designation. By enabling geo-referenced submissions and empowering stakeholders with better tools, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center has streamlined this complex, multi-party process—from intake validation to certification. These innovations help FHWA ensure corridor designations meet statutory requirements while enabling stakeholders to translate corridor data into actionable freight planning priorities.

Two years into the updated NHFN submission process, the benefits are becoming increasingly evident. The new workflows have significantly reduced FHWA’s review effort, allowing faster certifications and better resource allocation. The NHFN web mapping application empowers state DOTs and MPOs with easy-to-use visualization capabilities, setting the stage for smarter freight strategies and investments.

The updated NHFN Visualization Tool was published in September 2025 and is available for public use. This publication is a major milestone as it will ensure continued access to this valuable resource with improved functionality and sustained support. The new tool retains the familiar look and feel of the original for a seamless transition for users, while leveraging more current technology that supports long-term maintenance and enhancement options. These improvements enable more comprehensive analysis and informed decision-making.

About the U.S. DOT Volpe Center

Since 1970, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center has advanced transportation innovation for the public good, providing multimodal applied research, collaborating with federal, state, and industry partners, and multidisciplinary technical leadership and expertise to solve complex transportation challenges. Learn more at www.volpe.dot.gov.