Highways

Today's highways are the primary component of the surface transportation system, but modern challenges include heavier traffic volume, increasingly multi-modal traffic, and shrinking maintenance and construction budgets. Nebraska boasts over 480 miles of interstate, with a total of seven national highways that run north-south across the state. These busy routes experience a high volume of heavy trucks traveling the highways alongside passenger vehicles. Ways to improve safety and find cost-effective maintenance and construction solutions are essential to NTC research and the well-being of the regional economy.

NTC researchers have worked on several projects supported by the Federal Highway Administration to improve the materials and methods employed to maintain and expand the nation's highways. The nationally-recognized Midwest Roadside Safety Facility has developed safety features that have been adopted alongside highways nationwide. From advanced guardrail terminals to concrete bridge rails, these innovations have saved the lives of countless drivers.