Department of Transportation

The FY 2002 budget for Transportation proposes $59.5 billion, the highest funding level in the Department’s history. A summary of research and technology related programs follows:

• Federal Aviation Administration - $188 million including $53 million for continued research in aircraft structures and materials and $50 million for explosive detection and other security research. The remaining $85 million would be used in weather information, resolution of environmental issues, human factors, safety issues and support of FAA laboratories.
• Federal Highway Administration - $253.2 million for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) (32 percent above FY 2001); $135 million for ITS to accelerate rural, regional, and commercial motor vehicle deployment; and $118.2 million for ITS standards, research, operational tests, and development.
• National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration - $57 million for research and analysis activities such as the National Transportation Biomechanics Research Center, crash avoidance research, and other statistics tracking and safety research programs. Another $75 million is recommended to maintain the existing workforce and to hire, train, and develop safety professionals; maintain critical information systems; and design, print and distribute safety-related literature.
• Federal Transit Administration, the Research and Technology Program - $49 million (four percent increase over FY 2001) focusing on accessibility for the disabled, air quality, traffic congestion, fuel cells, and propulsion systems. The FTA’s University Transportation Centers are to maintain their funding level of $6 million to provide support for research, education, and technology transfer activities which address regional and national transportation matters.