As required in Section 6021 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act of 2015, the Transportation Research Board “will conduct a study on the actions needed to upgrade and restore the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways to its role as a premier system that meets the growing and shifting demands of the 21stcentury.” The study “shall build on the methodologies examined and recommended in the report... Specifications for a National Study of the Future 3R, 4R, and Capacity Needs of the Interstate System. The study-- (1) shall include specific recommendations regarding the features, standards, capacity needs, application of technologies, and intergovernmental roles to upgrade the Interstate System, including any revisions to law (including regulations) that the [committee] determines appropriate; and (2) is encouraged to build on the institutional knowledge in the highway industry in applying the techniques involved in implementing the study.”

The study “shall determine the need for reconstruction and improvement of the Interstate System by considering-- (1) future demands on transportation infrastructure determined for national planning purposes, including commercial and private traffic flows to serve future economic activity and growth; (2) the expected condition of the current Interstate System over the period of 50 years... including long-term deterioration and reconstruction needs; (3) features that would take advantage of technological capabilities to address modern standards of construction, maintenance, and operations, for purposes of safety, and system management, taking into further consideration system performance and cost; (4) those National Highway System routes that should be added to the existing Interstate System to more efficiently serve national traffic flows; and (5) the resources necessary to maintain and improve the Interstate System, including the resources required to upgrade the National Highway System routes [identified above] to Interstate standards.”

The committee will consult with national experts, operators and users of the Interstate System and private sector stakeholders, “including -- (A) the Federal Highway Administration; States; planning agencies at the metropolitan, state, and regional levels; the motor carrier industry; freight shippers; highway safety groups; and other appropriate entities."

The study will also consider the role the Interstate system, and modifications to it, can play in providing accessibility for Americans to opportunities such as employment and education and the impact transportation decisions can have on communities and quality of life. These considerations will be examined through case studies and, where quantifiable and appropriate, will be incorporated into cost estimates for reconstructing and expanding the Interstate system.