The American Association of State Highway Transportation (AASHTO) Strategic Plan includes a goal of promoting diversity in all AASHTO activities, collaborating with traditional and nontraditional partners to support equity and social justice objectives, and ensuring that transportation policies provide safety, mobility, and access to everyone. In November 2020, the AASHTO Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution pledging to engage in the vital work of advancing racial justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Research is a key component of the AASHTO Strategic Plan. Many aspects of transportation equity have been studied in recent years, but additional guidance on research needs and priorities is required, as is a synthesis of practices at state departments of transportation (DOTs). A research roadmap, informed by existing research and feedback from DOTs and AASHTO committees, will help identify research gaps and assist in advancing research related to equity in transportation. A research roadmap will (1) provide a strategy consistent with the AASHTO Strategic Plan; (2) be built upon existing research and feedback from AASHTO; (3) identify critical research gaps; and (4) prioritize research needs.

OBJECTIVE 

The objective of this project is to develop a research roadmap to be used by the AASHTO, state DOTs, and partners responsible for or interested in institutionalizing transportation equity, from transportation project development through preliminary design.

PROJECT TEAM

Portland State University:
Aaron Golub
Jennifer Dill
Nathan McNeil
Gabriel Quiñones-Zambrana
Amy Lubitow

Bills Formula Consulting LLC:
Tierra Bills

Amber Ontiveros & Associates:
Amber Ontiveros, Kim Stewart and Isabelle Kennedy