23 U.S.C. § 509 : US Code - Section 509: National cooperative freight transportation research program

Search 23 U.S.C. § 509 : US Code - Section 509: National cooperative freight transportation research program

(a) Establishment. - The Secretary shall establish and support a
national cooperative freight transportation research program.
(b) Agreement. - The Secretary shall enter into an agreement with
the National Academy of Sciences to support and carry out
administrative and management activities relating to the governance
of the national cooperative freight transportation research
program.
(c) Advisory Committee. - The National Academy of Sciences shall
select an advisory committee consisting of a representative cross-
section of freight stakeholders, including the Department of
Transportation, other Federal agencies, State transportation
departments, local governments, nonprofit entities, academia, and
the private sector.
(d) Governance. - The national cooperative freight transportation
research program established under this section shall include the
following administrative and management elements:
(1) National research agenda. - The advisory committee, in
consultation with interested parties, shall recommend a national
research agenda for the program. The agenda shall include a
multiyear strategic plan.
(2) Involvement. - Interested parties may -
(A) submit research proposals to the advisory committee;
(B) participate in merit reviews of research proposals and
peer reviews of research products; and
(C) receive research results.
(3) Open competition and peer review of research proposals. -
The National Academy of Sciences may award research contracts and
grants under the program through open competition and merit
review conducted on a regular basis.
(4) Evaluation of research. -
(A) Peer review. - Research contracts and grants under the
program may allow peer review of the research results.
(B) Programmatic evaluations. - The National Academy of
Sciences may conduct periodic programmatic evaluations on a
regular basis of research contracts and grants.
(5) Dissemination of research findings. - The National Academy
of Sciences shall disseminate research findings to researchers,
practitioners, and decisionmakers, through conferences and
seminars, field demonstrations, workshops, training programs,
presentations, testimony to government officials, the World Wide
Web, publications for the general public, and other appropriate
means.
(e) Contents. - The national research agenda required under
subsection (d)(1) shall include research in the following areas:
(1) Techniques for estimating and quantifying public benefits
derived from freight transportation projects.
(2) Alternative approaches to calculating the contribution of
truck and rail traffic to congestion on specific highway
segments.
(3) The feasibility of consolidating origins and destinations
for freight movement.
(4) Methods for incorporating estimates of international trade
into landside transportation planning.
(5) The use of technology applications to increase capacity of
highway lanes dedicated to truck-only traffic.
(6) Development of physical and policy alternatives for
separating car and truck traffic.
(7) Ways to synchronize infrastructure improvements with
freight transportation demand.
(8) The effect of changing patterns of freight movement on
transportation planning decisions relating to rest areas.
(9) Other research areas to identify and address emerging and
future research needs related to freight transportation by all
modes.
(f) Funding. -
(1) Federal share. - The Federal share of the cost of an
activity carried out under this section shall be up to 100
percent.
(2) Use of non-federal funds. - In addition to using funds
authorized for this section, the National Academy of Sciences may
seek and accept additional funding sources from public and
private entities capable of accepting funding from the Department
of Transportation, States, local governments, nonprofit
foundations, and the private sector.
(3) Period of availability. - Amounts made available to carry
out this section shall remain available until expended.