The report presents background information about the U.S. highway system and how research efforts to develop highway technologies are currently structured. It also presents background information on the highway system and its financing, the current structure for conducting highway research, and how research and new technologies are expected to help improve the highways.

Survey of highway departments' use of six technologies: fabrics, crack and seat, asphalt mix design, hot mix recycling, retrofit edge drains, and undersealing and subsealing.

In response to a congressional request, GAO provided information on research efforts to develop highway technologies, including cost-effective ways to maintain and rehabilitate interstate highways. GAO found that: (1) U.S. highways have deteriorated rapidly because of a lack of immediate maintenance and rehabilitation; (2) research and technological developments could improve states' abilities to finance highway improvement and rehabilitation; (3) research efforts for highway technology focus on various elements, such as soil, quality of materials used for pavement, traffic loads, and climate; and (4) for fiscal year 1987, states planned to spend about 25 percent of their federal highway funds on research.