Sec. 12003. Future interstate study
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Congress finds that— a well-developed system of transportation infrastructure is critical to the economic well-being, health, and welfare of the people of the United States; the 47,000-mile national Interstate System is the backbone to that transportation infrastructure system; and as of the date of enactment of this Act— many segments of the approximately 60-year-old Interstate System are well beyond the 50-year design life of the System and yet these aging facilities are central to the transportation infrastructure system, carrying 25 percent of the vehicle traffic of the United States on just 1 percent of the total public roadway mileage; the need for ongoing maintenance, preservation, and reconstruction of the Interstate System has grown due to increasing and changing travel demands; and simple maintenance of the current condition and configuration of the Interstate System is insufficient for the System to fully serve the transportation needs of the United States for the next 50 years.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into an agreement with the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies to conduct a study on the actions needed to upgrade and restore the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways to its role as a premier system network that meets the growing and shifting demands of the 21st century and for the next 50 years (referred to in this section as the study ).
In conducting the study, the Transportation Research Board shall build on the methodologies examined and recommended in the report prepared for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials entitled National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 20–24(79): Specifications for a National Study of the Future 3R, 4R, and Capacity Needs of the Interstate System and dated December 2013. The study— shall include specific recommendations regarding the features, standards, capacity needs, application of technologies, and intergovernmental roles to upgrade the Interstate System, including any revisions to law (including regulations) that the Transportation Research Board determines appropriate to achieve the goals; and is encouraged to build on the robust institutional knowledge in the highway industry in applying the techniques involved in implementing the study.
In carrying out the study, the Transportation Research Board shall determine the need for reconstruction and improvement of the Interstate System by considering— future demands on transportation infrastructure determined for national planning purposes, including commercial and private traffic flows to serve future economic activity and growth; the expected condition of the current Interstate System over the next 50 years, including long-term deterioration and reconstruction needs; those National Highway System routes that should be added to the existing Interstate System to more efficiently serve national traffic flows; features that would take advantage of technological capabilities to address modern standards of construction, maintenance, and operations, for purposes of safety, and system management, taking into further consideration system performance and cost; and the resources necessary to maintain and improve the Interstate System, including the resources required to upgrade those National Highway System routes identified in paragraph
(3)to Interstate standards. In carrying out the study, the Transportation Research Board— shall convene and consult with a panel of national experts including current and future owners, operators, and users of the Interstate System and private sector stakeholders; and is encouraged to consult with— the Federal Highway Administration; States; planning agencies at the metropolitan, State, and regional levels; the motor carrier industry; freight shippers; highway safety groups; and other appropriate entities. Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Transportation Research Board shall submit to the Secretary, the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate, and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report on the results of the study conducted under this section. From amounts authorized to carry out the Highway Research and Development Program, the Secretary shall use up to $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2016 to carry out this section.