1: MOBILITY
Continually 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.
Other Information:
Key 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.
Objective(s):
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