http://xml.gov/stratml/drybridge/FHWAStratPlan.xmlFHWA Strategic PlanFederal Highway AdministrationFHWA_07dc9961-9bbb-4eca-b4bd-7c6420a5c8a1Create the best transportation system in the world. The FHWA, in partnership with the total highway and transportation community, is preparing for the future. Our vision is to create the safest and most efficient and effective highway and intermodal transportation system in the world for the American people--a transportation system where everyone has access within and beyond their community and to the world; a transportation system where crashes, delays, and congestion are significantly reduced; a transportation system where freight moves easily and at the lowest costs across towns, States, and international borders; a system where roads protect ecosystems and where travel on our roadways does not degrade the quality of the air; a system where pedestrians and bicyclists are accommodated; and a system where transportation services are restored immediately after disasters and emergencies._e378ed18-fae2-419f-b94e-37bff6004820We continually improve the quality of our Nation's highway system and its intermodal connections. We carry out this mission by providing leadership, expertise, resources and information in cooperation with our partners to enhance the country's economic vitality, the quality of life, and the environment. The FHWA directly administers a number of highway transportation activities including standards development, research and technology, training, technical assistance, highway access to federally owned lands and Indian lands, and commercial vehicle safety enforcement. Further, FHWA has a significant role, working through partnerships, programs, policies, and allocating resources which facilitate the strategic development and maintenance of State and local transportation systems as effective and efficient elements of the national intermodal transportation system. We perform our mission through three main programs: The Federal-aid Highway Program provides Federal financial and technical assistance to the States to plan, construct, and improve the National Highway System, urban and rural roads, and bridges. The program fosters the development of a safe, efficient, and effective highway and intermodal system nationwide. The Motor Carrier Safety Program promotes safe commercial motor vehicle operations to reduce crashes. The program develops, communicates, and enforces performance-based regulations, for motor carriers, drivers, and vehicles to protect the traveling public on our Nation's highways. The Federal Lands Highway Program provides access to and within National Forests, National Parks, Indian Lands and other public lands by administering the Federal Lands Highway, Emergency Relief and Defense Access Roads Programs, performing transportation planning and conducting engineering studies, preparing plans, letting contracts, supervising construction of facilities, and conducting pavement and bridge inspections and surveys ratings._59f75ddb-c3bc-4486-aa4f-8bf8da468297ServiceWe anticipate and respond to customer and partner needs by providing quality products and service. We conduct business with integrity in an open, candid, and ethical manner and take pride in our work and commitment to quality. Employees have the moral courage to make the tough decisions and do what is right for the Nation.TeamworkWe leverage our collective talents through teams and partnerships based on mutual trust, fairness, respect, cooperation, and communication. We promote and reward creativity and initiative.ProfessionalismWe take pride in our work and are committed to the pursuit of excellence. We are committed to continuous professional and personal development through challenging operational assignments, training, opportunities, and recognition. FHWA employees are competent in their areas of expertise.DiversityWe consider people our greatest resource, and value and respect our individual differences and unique contributions. We support, care about, and respond to employees and their family needs.MOBILITYContinually improve the public's access to activities, goods, and services through preservation, improvement, and expansion of the highway transportation system and enhancement of its operations, efficiency, and intermodal connections._2087d399-1041-465f-81d7-47cf008f02eb1Key Mobility Strategies: Highways are the backbone of the Nation's intermodal transportation system and connect people, goods, and services. FHWA administered programs and initiatives integrate highways across the country into a comprehensive national system. FHWA's ongoing programs assist the States, Federal land management agencies, and tribal governments in maintaining and enhancing the current highway infrastructure. We also provide resources and technical assistance in the response to major natural disasters in the United States and its territories. By identifying the National Highway System (NHS) and its intermodal connections as a primary area of interest we will be able to focus resources on initiatives that help achieve mobility and productivity goals. These programs and initiatives, with State and local partnership and implementation, will create the best highway system in the world. With mobility demands continually increasing in the future, the highway community's challenges are great. FHWA strategies will focus on the following: Enhancing the Infrastructure: FHWA will promote and facilitate innovations in transportation finance and pricing that will help State and local governments build the physical and electronic infrastructure of the transportation system to meet future demands. We will expand our initiatives to create new ways of doing business that increase the efficiency of State and local transportation investments. Innovative programs and pilots, such as State Infrastructure Banks and the Infrastructure Credit Enhancement Program, will encourage State and local agencies to leverage their limited resources with increased non-federal and private investments. In addition to seeking new and innovative funding sources, the FHWA will focus research and technology innovations on ways to make transportation investments buy more and last longer. In order to meet our objectives for pavement and bridge improvements, we will leverage research to foster major advances in the technology of road and bridge construction, repair, and maintenance. FHWA technology deployment initiatives will ensure that current advancements such as Superpave and high performance materials (composites) are adopted to improve the performance of highways and bridges. The pavement and bridge indicators support the use of asset management concepts by our partners. FHWA initiatives to promote improved pavement and bridge management systems will enhance the ability of States, local agencies, and Federal land agencies to assess, maintain, and improve the condition of pavements and bridges. Advancing 21st Century Technology: Through extensive public and private partnerships, domestically, and internationally, FHWA will strive to ensure integration and deployment of ITS technologies to dramatically increase the capacity of the current highway system for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. FHWA initiatives will ensure integration of the communications and technical architecture, standards, technical assistance, and guidance. This will help public and private ITS applications meet the growing demands for physical and information access. FHWA will work closely with State and local agencies to advance ITS applications for metropolitan residents, commercial carriers, and rural residents. Over the next 10 years, Intelligent Transportation Infrastructure, including advanced traffic management, traveler information services, public transportation systems, the Commercial Vehicle Information System and Network (CVISN), and the Rural Initiative will be deployed across the country. Improving System Operations: Improving the operation of the highway system and its intermodal linkages support the mobility, productivity and safety goals. FHWA initiatives to identify and share effective management systems and practices that address congestion, safety, incident management, work zone traffic control, and other operational issues, will result in improved highway operations. FHWA will promote partnerships among Federal, State and local agencies, and other stakeholders to identify and implement improvements to the NHS and connections to intermodal facilities that will enhance the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. Ensuring Emergency Relief: In a natural disaster, the initial emergency response is provided over the highway and the community may not fully recover from the disaster until the highways are back in full service. We work with our Federal, State, and local partners to ensure that highways can provide vital links for emergency relief during natural disasters and to ensure that full highway access is quickly restored to the disaster area. FHWA will participate in practice exercises, as well as reviews of actual disaster response lessons learned, to help develop and improve techniques, communications, technologies, and streamlining procedures for Federal resources. With our partner agencies, FHWA will develop and share best practices that can be immediately deployed during a disaster. Accelerated contracting mechanisms, communications, and technologies will provide access to sites immediately following disasters and quickly restore damaged highways to full service.InfrastructurePreserve and enhance the infrastructure of Federal-aid highways with emphasis on the NHS._f4a6ddec-dc02-4230-b429-b503f11e3e411.1Indicators: Increase the percentage of kilometers (miles) on the NHS that meet Owner-Agency managed pavement performance for acceptable ride quality to over 93 percent within 10 years. (International Roughness Index less than or equal to 2.68m/km (170 inches/mile)). Improve the condition of NHS bridges so that less than 20 percent are classified as deficient in 10 years, Improve the condition of all bridges so that less than 25 percent are classified as deficient in 10 years.Highway Systems and Intermodal LinkagesImprove the operation of the highway systems and intermodal linkages to increase transportation access for all people and commodities._1deffeae-6b6d-4b94-a78a-4446379cad5a1.2Indicators: Increase in user satisfaction with the Nation's highway systems to meet their needs (to be collected through surveys). Reduce delays on Federal-aid highways by 20 percent in 10 years (hours of delay/1610 vehicle kilometers (1000 vehicle-miles traveled). Improve the efficiency and capacity of existing intermodal connections on the NHS and serve new intermodal facilities on the NHS as appropriate. (Baseline and measure to be developed).Disaster RecoveryMinimize the time needed to return highways to full service following disasters._2e937656-82e6-4267-b16d-5738a8ac524d1.3Indicators: State and local officials satisfaction with the FHWA emergency relief measures (to be measured through surveys). Increase in the number of Federal, State, and local agencies using accelerated contracting mechanisms to make emergency response repairs (Baseline and measure to be developed).SAFETYContinually improve highway safety._615714f8-af24-4574-b1d9-437c39d076652Key Safety Strategies: Safety on the highways is our highest priority--more than 40,000 Americans die, and 3 million are injured in motor vehicle crashes on our highways each year. More than 5,000 of the fatal crashes each year involve commercial motor vehicles. Crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists result in 5,000 fatalities annually. As more people travel farther on the highways each year, without significant improvements in highway safety, the number of fatalities and injuries could also increase. In meeting this highway safety goal, the rate of fatalities would change from 1.1 to 0 .7 fatalities per 100 million vehicle kilometers traveled (1.7 to 1.1 fatalities per 100 million vehicle-miles traveled). This would be a 35-percent decrease in the fatality rate. Ensuring that it is safe to travel on the highways is a guiding principle throughout all of our programs and activities. FHWA focuses safety programs on high risk areas through technical assistance, research, training, data analysis, and public information as well as through compliance, education, and enforcement of national motor carrier safety requirements. Further, FHWA provides resources for infrastructure and system improvements to enhance safety such as highway-rail grade crossing. Improving highway safety also reduces the economic costs of transportation incidents. To meet its goals to continually improve highway safety, even as travel increases, FHWA's key strategies in highway safety include the following: Promoting Safety Management Processes: In partnership with the highway community, FHWA will facilitate implementation of comprehensive safety management processes with Federal, State, and local government and the commercial transportation industry. Safety management processes will bring together, in a coordinated approach, the stakeholders that affect highway safety including highway design, operation and enforcement agencies, the motor carrier industry, safety advocacy groups, and others. FHWA will work with our partners and stakeholders to develop information and analysis systems to better identify the causes of crashes and develop crash avoidance programs to reduce or eliminate crashes. FHWA will identify and share best practices in design and operation of safe roadways that can reduce the risks and severity of crashes. FHWA will work with its partners to implement programs such as Safe Communities that will increase involvement of communities and citizens in identifying and implementing safety practices. Through the above initiatives, FHWA will ensure that government agencies, the public, communities, and businesses are aware of safety countermeasures and best practices and able to apply them throughout every level of highway system design, construction, operation, and use. Deploying Lifesaving Technologies on the Highways: FHWA will identify and promote deployment of safety technology with particular emphasis on technologies that address high priority areas, including run-off-road and pedestrian and bicycle incidents. Advancement of ITS technologies including intelligent cruise control, viewer enhancers, and on-board sensors, as discussed under the mobility goal, will also be a key part of the safety initiatives. FHWA's longer term safety strategy is a technology-based systematic approach to enhance the safety of the roadway, vehicles, and users. We will facilitate the research, development, and application of technology to dramatically change operations and integrate these new technologies to create a fail-safe highway environment. The initial steps toward this include the testing of the automated highway system, automated traffic management systems, pedestrian signal communications systems, intelligent vehicles and vehicle systems, and commercial vehicle and passenger car technologies that monitor the fatigue and safety performance of individual drivers. Focusing on Commercial Vehicle and Driver Safety: In the past, the motor carrier program was primarily built on regulations and enforcement. Today, it is a safety program which identifies and implements innovative and performance-based programs. FHWA will: promote safe driving practices in the vicinity of large trucks; build partnerships to improve motor carrier safety and performance of commercial motor vehicles and drivers; target enforcement on the highest-risk motor carriers, and identify and deploy new technologies to enhance the safety performance and productivity of the motor carrier industry. Focusing on Human Behavior: In the Headquarters and field, the FHWA will add its resources to work on educational and enforcement activities designed to change human behavior while using the roadway environment. The FHWA will join all the modal administrations in such activities that increase the use of seat belts, reduce the number of red light running crashes, and reduce the number of alcohol related crashes. It is estimated that increasing the use of seat belts and decreasing drunk driving have the highest potential for reducing fatalities on the Nation's highways. These activities will be accomplished with departmental leadership from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.Injuries and FatalitiesReduce the number of highway-related fatalities and injuries._c603b679-588d-41ab-8314-67d5d018a5362.1Indicators: 20 percent reduction in the number of highway-related fatalities in 10 years. 20 percent reduction in the number of highway-related serious injuries in 10 years.PRODUCTIVITYContinuously improve the economic efficiency of the Nation's transportation system to enhance America's position in the global economy._d45af801-8384-44e7-adcd-5eeafb79f4443Note: See Objective 2 under the Mobility Goal - Improve the operation of the highway system and intermodal linkages to increase transportation access for all people and commodities. KEY PRODUCTIVITY STRATEGIES: Minimizing the cost to build, maintain, operate, and use the National Highway System directly supports local, regional, and national economic growth and competitiveness. The Highway System provides the majority of passenger travel; 91 percent of the person-distance (miles) traveled are in privately owned vehicles. Trucks move nearly three quarters of the value, one half of the weight, and nearly one quarter of the metric ton- kilometer (ton-miles) of all freight shipments in the United States and its territories. FHWA programs to increase mobility through enhanced infrastructure, technology, and operations also support economic performance goals. In addition, we will help reduce the economic costs of providing and using the highways by focusing on the following strategies: Highway System Operating Efficiency: FHWA initiatives in incident and congestion management systems will assist the States in stabilizing highway congestion and reducing delays caused by crashes, breakdowns, and construction. Within 10 years, the broad deployment of CVISN, an automated and integrated commercial vehicle service system, will increase operating efficiency and streamline government requirements for commercial vehicles, while ensuring their data privacy. We will promote innovative congestion pricing strategies for highway users that also support congestion management, air quality, and energy conservation initiatives. Further, FHWA will facilitate advancements in technology to develop new cost recovery opportunities such as automatic toll collection. Border Crossing Efficiency: FHWA will work with international, Federal, State agencies and others to remove institutional, technological, and physical transportation barriers to foreign trade at our border crossings. With our partners, FHWA will provide resources and technical assistance for States and local governments to speed the movement of vehicles through border gateways. Highway System Production Efficiency: FHWA will promote increasing the return on investment of highway dollars through research and technology transfer to significantly reduce the life cycle costs of new and reconstructed highways. We will promote sound investment decisionmaking through States' and Federal lands agencies' utilization of asset management strategies. Further, to be truly efficient in the production of our Nation's highway system, we must do more than build high quality, long lasting structures. Maximum efficiency will only be realized when all elements of the Nation's resources are able to contribute to that end. FHWA will continue to promote open and full access to employment in the design and construction of the system and to companies and educational institutions wishing to participate in highway-related research. FHWA will identify where underutilization is occurring and what barriers to full participation exist. FHWA training and professional capacity building initiatives, such as the Garrett A. Morgan Program and ITS core competencies, will help assure that highway agencies are staffed with skilled personnel capable of identifying and implementing best practices in all program areas. Where warranted, FHWA will foster international trade in U.S. highway products and will promote and implement technical assistance and partnerships to achieve full utilization of all of the Nation's production resources. Federal-aid Efficiency: To maximize the rate of return resulting from Federal transportation investment, it is essential that the costs associated with delivering and accepting Federal-Aid be minimized. FHWA will continue its efforts at regulatory reform and will develop streamlined methods and mechanisms for delivering Federal assistance while maintaining all necessary safeguards of Federal law.Economic EfficiencyImprove the economic efficiency of highway transportation._162ad8cd-aad6-4c6a-8a72-c8b309be0e813.1Indicators: Reduce delays on Federal-aid highways by 20 percent in 10 years (hours of delay/1000 vehicle kilometers traveled (vehicle-miles traveled). Reduce highway-related delays on NHS border crossings by 30 percent in 10 years (Baseline and index to be developed).ROIImprove the return on investment of the highway system._e031b30d-f8c3-4db0-b8f7-29a8682b2ffa3.2Indicator: Reduce the life cycle costs per lane kilometer (lane mile) of new and reconstructed highways by 25 percent in 10 years (indicators to be developed).HUMAN AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENTProtect and enhance the natural environment and communities affected by highway transportation._0d91f05a-6f10-44a0-8d71-ac78d63245804KEY HUMAN AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT STRATEGIES: Highways and transportation facilities are major contributors to the quality of life in communities and can be a major factor affecting the quality of the natural environment, especially air quality. Through initiatives in planning, environment, analytical models, new technologies, and research, we will work with our partners to ensure that highway facilities balance local, regional, and national concerns with the natural environment and add value to the community. The major focus of FHWA's initiatives will be the following: Enhancing Communities Through Highway Transportation: FHWA will foster community and regional level transportation solutions through enhancements in urban and rural community planning. We will develop and share tools for State, local, Federal land management agencies, and tribal government planners to effectively incorporate environmental justice and the preservation of scenic, historic, natural, and community resources, as well as traffic safety into transportation plans. FHWA will help ensure transportation plans address the community concerns and social impacts of transportation facilities and recognize the role of transportation in supporting Welfare-to-Work, mobility for people with low incomes, and accessibility for people with disabilities. FHWA will promote programs and initiatives to enhance communities through effective public involvement, a thorough assessment of impacts, and creative approaches to mitigation and enhancement. To accelerate and improve decisionmaking, FHWA will promote processes which effectively integrate Federal, State, and local transportation, land use, and environmental decisionmaking in a streamlined and timely manner. Sustaining the Quality of the Natural Environment: Through research, new technologies, and analytical models, FHWA will promote the construction, maintenance, and use of highways that are compatible with the national environmental objectives. In partnership with our stakeholders, we will support the development of environmental analytical models to assist decisionmakers. FHWA will promote initiatives to protect and enhance ecosystems on a programmatic basis, including the use of inventories, partnerships with resource agencies, and practices such as wetland banking. FHWA will provide resources, flexibility, and technical assistance for States and local agencies to ensure compliance with environmental standards, especially reducing transportation-related air emissions. FHWA will promote streamlined environmental processes, requirements and procedures to accelerate and improve decisionmaking to meet the goals of transportation, the community, and the natural environment. While FHWA is focusing its strategic indicators on air quality and wetlands, progress in these high priority areas is indicative of general progress in achieving our overall environmental goals.Economic and Social BenefitsEnhance community and social benefits of highway transportation._ad4da19c-08fa-4258-8dfd-6121aba1e4cc4.1Indicator: Increase public satisfaction with highway systems and highway projects as a beneficial part of their community (to be measured through surveys) .Natural EnvironmentImprove the quality of the natural environment by reducing highway-related pollution and by protecting and enhancing ecosystems._3633542a-2bfc-4854-a371-ffa15942ed2b4.2Indicators: Reduce on-road mobile source emissions by 20 percent in 10 years. Increase net wetland hectare area (acreage) resulting from Federal-aid highway projects by 50 percent in 10 years.NATIONAL SECURITYImprove the Nation's national defense mobility._2602eae6-89d1-4e66-8ebd-16ebdf9552865KEY NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGIES: Highways are critical links for mobilizing and deploying military forces from U.S. bases. FHWA facilitates effective coordination among Federal, State, and local agencies to ensure that the highway infrastructure, communications, and technology fully support national defense strategies. We will continually improve our National security initiatives through the following: Enhancing Mobilization Planning: FHWA will facilitate coordination with the DOD and State and local highway agencies to support priority defense mobilization and deployment plans through infrastructure, communications, and highway operations information systems. Improving the operation of key highway and bridges of interest for national military mobilization: FHWA will work with the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC) to improve routes on the Strategic Highway Corridor Network (STRAHNET) and STRAHNET connectors. We will place special emphasis on those highways connectors and bridges that support key installations and the air and seaports of embarkation identified by MTMC.Capacity and OperationsImprove the capacity and operation of the highway system to support mobilization._b55fcbc4-528e-430c-9b3d-26ee712352b35.1Indicator: Increase the level of satisfaction of Department of Defense (DOD) partners with highway transportation services to support mobilization initiatives.1998-01-012010-02-08http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/fhplan.htmlOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net