The Second Strategic Highway Research Program addresses the four required areas, but some anticipated research was not funded : report to congressional committees, February 2010.

653241677PDFTech ReportGAO-10-248Highway capacityHighway safetyUnited StatesUnited States. Government Accountability OfficeUnited States. Government Accountability OfficeUnited States. CongressNTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-Highway SafetyUS Transportation CollectionThe 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users authorized the Department of Transportation to establish a highway research program to address future challenges facing the U.S. highway system. In 2006, the Second Strategic Highway Research Program was established to conduct research in four areas\ue2\u20ac\u201dsafety, renewal, reliability, and capacity. The Transportation Research Board manages this program in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and others.The legislation also required GAO to review the program no later than 3 years after the first research contracts were awarded. This report provides information about the process for selecting the program\ue2\u20ac\u2122s projects for funding, the projects\ue2\u20ac\u2122 status, and what, if any, research was eliminated because of funding and time constraints. To address our objectives, GAO reviewed the program\ue2\u20ac\u2122s authorizing legislation, analyzed studies and reports related to the program and its projects, and interviewed officials from relevant transportation agencies and organizations.GAO is not making recommendations in this report. The Department of Transportation and the Transportation Research Board reviewed a draft of this report and provided technical clarifications, which we incorporated, as appropriate