The second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) is a collaborative partnership of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the Transportation Research Board (TRB). Mandated by Congressional authorization in 2005, SHRP2 sought to develop innovative and proven responses to pervasive highway transportation challenges as identified by state DOT leadership in four focus areas: safety, renewal, reliability, and capacity. From 2007 through 2013, TRB managed more than 100 individual research projects at a cost of $232 million to find workable solutions in each focus area. More than 300 volunteers provided oversight to the research contractors. Those research projects resulted in more than 60 “real-life” solutions, and in 2010, FHWA and AASHTO partnered to plan for their implementation. The agencies branded this implementation as “Save lives, money, and time” by using these solutions. Following meetings of the FHWA/AASHTO SHRP2 Oversight Committee, made up of representatives from state, local and Federal transportation agencies as well as research participants, and a subsequent survey, the products were ranked as to interest and applicability. Implementation Planning Workshops were held for each product with representatives of state, local and Federal agencies, relevant private sector firms, and subject matter experts, to determine a clear description of the product, and its viability and opportunities for implementation. Goals and tactics as well as outreach and marketing activities were discussed. This information became the basis for the framework of the Implementation Assistance Program (IAP, launched in 2013 by FHWA and AASHTO. An authorized budget of just over $170 million supported SHRP2 implementation activities; of this, $60 million was contributed by the state departments of transportation (DOTs) from their state planning and research funds. Depending on the product readiness, three levels of assistance were offered in seven rounds: Proof of Concept; Lead Adopter; and User Incentive. (See Implementation Assistance for specific information.) More than 430 projects were conducted utilizing SHRP2 products through the IAP, enabling state DOTs, metropolitan planning organizations, tribal agencies, FHWA’s Federal Lands divisions, and other agencies to benefit from the power of innovation. Other significant SHRP2 deployments have taken place outside the IAP, notably through FHWA’s Every Day Counts (EDC) initiative, AASHTO’s Innovation Initiative, the Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration, and the State Transportation Innovation Councils Incentive Program. The first link is to a document that lists each state’s participation in the IAP. The second set of links are to three end-of-year reports with detailed information on how several states implemented various solutions. Finally, the last set link to several “Milestone” news briefs produced by FHWA that also provide additional implementation stories. For more information, contact the FHWA SHRP2 Implementation Team at goSHRP2@dot.gov. | 