Building Safer, Faster Roads: What’s New in FHWA’s Every Day Counts Program

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has rolled out a new wave of transportation innovations through its Every Day Counts (EDC) program, aimed at helping states build projects faster while improving safety for the traveling public. Now in its eighth round, EDC continues to push practical, ready-to-use ideas from concept to standard practice across the country.

EDC is all about taking what already works in one place and scaling it nationwide. Instead of reinventing the wheel, the program identifies proven tools, technologies, and processes that states have successfully used, then provides support so other agencies can adopt them more quickly. More than 15 states are already putting this latest set of strategies into action, working alongside local governments, tribes, and private-sector partners to modernize how projects are delivered.

FHWA Administrator Sean McMaster has emphasized that Every Day Counts is designed to rapidly deploy solutions that make roads and bridges safer and get projects delivered in less time. By focusing on innovations that can be implemented today—not years from now—the program helps agencies stretch limited dollars further and reduce disruptions for communities.

Below is a quick overview of the new EDC8 innovations and why they matter for transportation professionals and road users alike.

Advancing Nighttime Work Zone Safety

Nighttime work zones can reduce congestion, but they introduce unique risks for workers and drivers. The Work Zone Safety Initiative provides agencies with tools and strategies to make night work zones safer and more predictable. From better lighting and traffic control setups to enhanced worker visibility and smarter scheduling, the focus is on reducing crashes and near misses when visibility is low and speeds are often higher.

Beyond Bid-Build: Smarter Project Delivery

Traditional design–bid–build isn’t always the best fit for complex or time-sensitive projects. The Beyond Bid-Build initiative promotes alternative delivery methods—such as design–build, CM/GC, and progressive design–build—that bring contractor and designer expertise into the process earlier. This can help agencies better manage risk, control costs, and deliver higher-quality projects on tighter schedules.

Connected Corridors: Sharing Data, Improving Operations

As more agencies rely on real-time information to manage traffic, the Connected Corridors innovation focuses on coordinated, corridor-wide operations. It encourages states and regions to share data using common standards while maintaining control over their own systems. With better, more reliable data, agencies can improve incident response, optimize signal timing, and provide more accurate information to travelers, leading to safer and more efficient corridors.

Integrated Digital Project Delivery

Integrated Digital Project Delivery moves project information out of siloed spreadsheets and paper plans and into connected digital environments. Using shared 3D models and online collaboration tools, teams can access consistent, up‑to‑date information from planning through maintenance. This approach helps catch conflicts earlier, speeds up decision-making, and supports safer, more reliable projects over the life cycle of an asset.

Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE)

Hidden utilities are a notorious source of delays, change orders, and safety hazards on highway projects. Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) encourages agencies to invest in utility investigation early in the project development process. By using established methods to locate and map underground utilities upfront, teams can avoid costly surprises in the field, protect workers, and keep projects on schedule.

UAS 2.0: Innovative Infrastructure Management

Drones are no longer a novelty in transportation—they’re becoming essential tools. UAS 2.0 builds on agencies’ early experience with unmanned aircraft systems to move toward more advanced, systematic use in inspections and asset management. From bridges and embankments to difficult-to-access structures, drones can improve safety for inspectors, provide better data, and reduce the time and cost of field work.