Surface Transportation Reauthorization Arrives: What Are the Outcomes and the Prospects for Research?

In this article the funding of research and technology programs under the newly authorized Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) is compared with that provided under the preceding Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). The comparison uses multiyear totals and annual averages, because TEA-21 authorized 6 years of funding, but SAFETEA-LU authorizes 5 years of funding for continuing programs. A comparison of equivalent categories shows that funding under SAFETEA-LU has increased by 36%, which is roughly equivalent to the increase in total funding for highway programs. Also traced are new and expanded programs and the challenges and constraints that affect the research community.