Thanks to ongoing research and major initiatives, transportation agencies are gaining new tools and approaches to reduce construction time on projects, use improved methods and materials, reduce congestion, and improve safety.

A made-to-implement set of these new tools and approaches—and information on state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and other agencies that are reaping the benefits—is featured in an article in the January/February 2014 issue of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Public Roads magazine.

"Now Is the Time for Innovation” highlights the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2), a national partnership between FHWA, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the Transportation Research Board (TRB).

“The nation’s 4-million-mile highway system…has largely exceeded its design life and is inadequate for today’s traffic volumes. The system is deteriorating, with resulting impacts on safety, mobility, and the economy,” writes article co-authors Judith Johnson, of FHWA, and Laurie Butts, of Volpe.

SHRP2 addresses these issues, identifying solutions that can be implemented by state DOTs, local roadway agencies, and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), among others. Volpe supports FHWA as the SHRP2 lead implementation agency.

Research Products and Deployment

After completing nearly 100 research projects, SHRP2 prioritized more than 65 resulting products, called SHRP2 Solutions, and deployed 10 of those products in 2013. Another 14 products are expected to launch in 2014.

The Public Roads article provides a list of current products and highlights three states—Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Michigan—that are deploying multiple SHRP2 Solutions to address problems across their transportation systems.

Notably, in 2011, the Iowa Department of Transportation used a SHRP2 toolkit to help with the replacement of the Keg Creek Bridge near Council Bluffs. The bridge replacement took just 2 weeks, when bridges of that size and type usually take 6 months to replace.

Implementation Support

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which received help through the SHRP2 Implementation Assistance Program, is using three SHRP2 strategies to revitalize a large number of heavily traveled, aging roads.

The Implementation Assistance Program provides financial and technical assistance to help state DOTs, MPOs, and other organizations deploy SHRP2 products. Organizations can apply for implementation assistance during the next offering, which is scheduled to open in June 2014 (information: www.fhwa.dot.gov/GoSHRP2).

To learn more about the tools offered by SHRP2, read the full Public Roads article: "Now Is the Time for Innovation."