AASHTO Journal, 29 March 2013
The Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2) implementation assistance program led by the Federal Highway Administration and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials began in earnest last week, with 118 applications submitted by the March 22 deadline for 79 possible awards of financial and technical assistance. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia applied for $10.5 million in efforts to help implement six different SHRP2 Solutions. A number of metropolitan planning organizations and tribal agencies also applied for the awards.
“We are very pleased with the response to the program,” said Bud Wright, AASHTO executive director. “Nothing epitomizes innovation like the work coming out of SHRP2. In just a short span of time, we were able to engage many, many states. It is a great collaboration with FHWA and TRB.”
The awards are expected to be announced later this spring. Assistance will be provided in three categories that vary by product: proof of concept pilots, lead adopter incentives, and user incentives. FHWA’s program offices will now gather review teams to determine award recipients. Depending on the product, the general criteria includes geographic diversity of participants, demonstration of a culture within the agency to implement new products or processes, past interest or participation in similar implementation efforts, a high commitment to making institutional or organizational changes, commitment to conduct demonstration workshops, and a willingness to share their experiences with their peers.
Pam Hutton, AASHTO’s SHRP2 implementation manager, said this initial success will bring great paybacks to the states who are participating.
“These new innovations, technologies, and practices will truly make a positive difference in our state departments of transportation,” Hutton said. “AASHTO is ready to assist our membership in helping to integrate these products into their business practices.”
In other SHRP2-related news, representatives from 23 states met in Washington this week to identify additional products to be included in the $168 million SHRP2 implementation plan. More than 65 SHRP2 products were evaluated, discussed, and prioritized to determine which might bring the most value and benefit to their departments and to the AASHTO community as a whole.
“We want to think about what is best for the country, where we are moving as an industry, and what would best serve all the citizens in the United States,” said Kirk Steudle, chair of AASHTO’s Implementation Task Force and the SHRP2 Oversight Committee. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to identify a set of new innovations that our fellow transportation departments can benefit from. The decisions we make will have a major impact upon which SHRP2 products are promoted, and how quickly they enter the mainstream of the transportation industry.”
Following the meeting, FHWA and AASHTO will work together to develop consensus and put together a recommended program of products that will receive funding through SHRP2 for implementation across the United States. This recommended program will then be presented to the SHRP2 Implementation Advisory Committee at its June 2013 meeting. Thirty products were included in the first implementation program, approved last year.
For more information on SHRP2, go to SHRP2.transportation.org.