U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
The Global Benchmarking Program (GBP) serves as a tool for accessing, evaluating, and implementing proven global innovations that have the potential to significantly improve highway transportation in the U.S. Instead of re-creating advances already developed by other countries, the program focuses on acquiring and adopting technologies and best practices already available and used abroad. This is accomplished through studies that connect FHWA and State DOT representatives with transportation advances and experts around the world. The main focus of the program is on advancing innovation through the implementation of key findings and recommendations in the U.S. context. Ultimately, the goal of the GBP is to improve safety, avoid duplicative research, reduce overall costs, accelerate improvements to our transportation system, and ensure our Nation's transportation system is world class.
Under the GBP approach, study topics are generated by FHWA Program Offices and selected by the FHWA Administrator to ensure they support Departmental and Agency priorities and strategic goals. In addition, each topic goes through a risk analysis to identify any potential pitfalls and to ensure GBP studies produce the highest level of benefit. The program also features a strategic and flexible methodology that includes the completion of substantial front-end information collection and a diverse range of interactions with foreign experts.
GBP studies typically involve face-to-face discussions with professionals in other countries and technical site visits to observe foreign innovations firsthand. Each study spans a one-week period and may include visits to several locations. GBP studies can also involve other information collection and knowledge exchange mechanisms with foreign professionals such as virtual exchange, peer-to- peer forums, conferences, etc. Recognizing the vital role of State Departments of Transportation (State DOTs) in getting innovative solutions into practice, studies include the participation of up to two State DOT technical representatives. These individuals are selected by the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and their participation is funded through the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP).
The most critical element and primary goal of the Global Benchmarking Program (GBP) is the implementation of key findings and recommendations derived from the studies. This goal is fundamental to the program's success. Toward this end, each study includes the development of a report to inform relevant partners and stakeholders of study findings as well as an implementation plan that outlines strategies for communicating, promoting, and implementing key study findings and recommendations.
Global Benchmarking Reports:
Work is underway on the following Global Benchmarking studies:
The purpose of this study is to learn how other countries have successfully integrated Green Public Procurement methodologies into their transportation sector procurement process to help curb Green House Gas (GHG)/carbon emissions and ensure more environmentally friendly infrastructure practices.
The goal of the study is to leverage existing international knowledge and experience and provide State transportation agencies with strategies they can adapt based on their needs and requirements to help lower GHG emissions from the services they procure to build and maintain transportation assets.
The purpose of this study is to examine the successful application of in-service turbo roundabouts in other countries and to learn from the practitioners and researchers in these countries about the design and operational guidance in use, as well as the safety performance compared to traditional roundabout designs and other intersection alternatives.
The goal of the study is to build the expertise needed for turbo roundabout design to be applied and implemented in the U.S. in appropriate locations, in order to help reduce the number of fatalities, serious injuries, and property damage on our roadways.
The purpose of this study is to examine noteworthy approaches and innovations used by other countries to achieve reductions in pedestrian fatalities (particularly when applied to arterial roadway systems).
The goals are to; (1) identify proven practices, policies, and innovations that could be successfully applied in the United States to make existing and planned urban signalized arterials safer for pedestrians and
(2) supplement current FHWA activities to address pedestrian safety and complement additional work being conducted by other public and private organizations.
The use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and associated technologies are rapidly advancing in many areas, including highway transportation applications. In addition to the numerous opportunities that UAS provide there are also many challenges. There is a need to develop a more complete knowledge base in the U.S. that is beyond flight operations and regulations and looks more discretely at specific operations, such as construction inspection, bridge inspection, and incident response operations.
The purpose of this study is to examine international usage of UAS and associated success - the focus being on gaining an understanding of the logistics and capabilities of utilizing UAS technology for managing transportation infrastructure. The goal of the study is to leverage international experience and lessons learned in order to advance the adoption of UAS technology for transportation applications in the U.S.
