Managing Technology Transfer A Strategy for the Federal Highway Administration -- Special Report 256 (1999) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
3 Innovation and Technology Transfer in the Highway Industry:Overview
3 Innovation and Technology Transfer in the Highway Industry:Overview
Pages 26-40
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 26... ...
of roads and streets, tunnels, bridges, and other structures -- is essentially owned, operated, and maintained by state and local highway agencies.1 These agencies contract with thousands of private 26
|
From page 27... ...
Money from the Highway Trust Fund is distributed to the states on the basis of apportionment formulas determined by the U.S. Congress.2 Each of the 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, has an independent highway agency.These agencies are responsible for those segments of the federal Interstate and primary highway systems that lie within their borders, as well as their own network of state highways; this amounts to about 20 percent of the nation's total highway mileage.
|
From page 28... ...
Several federal agencies, the state highway agencies, many private companies and universities, and various public and private consortia conduct or sponsor highway R&D programs (TRB 1994)
|
From page 29... ...
When TEA-21 increased the overall apportionment to the states beginning in fiscal year 1999, SP&R funding for research rose to a projected $123 million. SP&R research involves a range of activities, including contract research, in-house research, technology transfer, technical assistance to regional and local transportation agencies, materials and equipment testing, and staff technical development and training.
|
From page 30... ...
Implementation is facilitated by the program's close ties to state highway agencies, which provide volunteers for the project review panels, and to AASHTO, which often develops highway design practices and specifications based on the research findings. (See Appendix B for more information on NCHRP support for implementation efforts.)
|
From page 31... ...
During the Interstate highway era, which began in 1956, FHWA focused considerable research attention on construction and materials
|
From page 32... ...
As major portions of the Interstate system were opened for use, interest in such topics as emerging concerns about the impacts of highways on urban areas and on the environment resulted in a broader range of FHWA research. With the passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA)
|
From page 33... ...
Finally, SCOR assists other AASHTO committees in identifying research needs; advocates funding for highway research; and helps coordinate state involvement in national research activities, such as FHWA's implementation of research products resulting from the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) .5 IMPEDIMENTS TO HIGHWAY INDUSTRY INNOVATION As noted in Chapter 2, a number of factors serve as impediments to innovation in the highway industry because they limit or prevent innovation and its potential benefits.
|
From page 34... ...
New technologies or materials with the potential for improved performance may not meet existing design specifications.Thus, attempts to introduce innovation and reduce life-cycle costs can be stifled. Furthermore, in a procurement environment dominated by selection based on lowest initial cost, the private sector is not motivated to invest in R&D if it cannot retain the ability to capture the financial benefits of the research products.
|
From page 35... ...
The contractor team disbands after the facility is completed, leaving the owner agency responsible for the operation and maintenance of the constructed facility. In addition, construction of public facilities, as opposed to high-technology manufacturing activity, involves considerable variations in local materials and conditions and a generally harsh operating environment, further discouraging divergence from standard design guides and prescribed methods and limiting the use of new ideas and methods (TRB 1994)
|
From page 36... ...
Moreover, although FHWA has the largest single highway R&D program, it does not implement the products it develops and promotes. Rather, those products are implemented by state and local highway agencies, construction companies, contractors, consultants, and others, making information about specific applications and benefits difficult to obtain.
|
From page 37... ...
disc design awards inno for of slo testing that y for act costs mance that hnologies agencies ten m ietar awards h age for ation iption tec of vative agencies ing potential Highway e opr contr suc we public established in Descr N tandards-settingS ar inno ong-ter solutions L ublic-sectorP pr hcuS per potential ospects maintenance on Making ublicP discour if the pr applic Requir The ation Innovation to e and acts limitations y demonstr failur ulesr costs e contr costs and to lecy ations liabilit ance Impediments epyT losur estingT tandardsS estingT w-bido e-c Disc L Lif pecificS Designbuild oductrP insur incipalrP 3-2 y al ement ableT Impediment Categor hnicceT ocurrP egal L
|
From page 38... ...
pr mit have on compensation hes public limit pr per anc esistr ations to tec limited inter k for w dilute futur futur ket open al to and the e by ne ar viouse in mar loc but,y y and hecc organiz with a anc personnel mismatc meet and ersyvo pr et engineers as e and, y hnologies incentive actices to the saf ations onage pr hir R&D of hoicesc tendenc tec act complex the epeatr to y and al agenc agencies possible existing for al contr y state quo patr iption vative al, organiz al menty e needed ar ces natur public-sector hnologies. e hnic Descr ecT avoid simpl ederF health solutions.
|
From page 39... ...
. REFERENCES ABBREVIATIONS AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials COTA Congressional Office of Technology Assessment NCHRP National Cooperative Highway Research Program NCPWI National Council on Public Works Improvement TRB Transportation Research Board AASHTO.
|
From page 40... ...
1998. Transportation Research Circular 488: Transportation Technology Transfer -- A Primer on the State of the Practice.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.