Transportation Programs Division
About the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS)

The Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) provides data that reflects the extent, condition, performance, use, and operating characteristics of the Nation's highways. It was developed in 1978 as a national highway transportation system database. It includes limited data on all public roads, more detailed data for a sample of the arterial and collector functional systems, and certain statewide summary information. HPMS replaced numerous uncoordinated annual State data reports as well as biennial special studies conducted by each State. These special studies had been conducted to support a 1965 congressional requirement that a report on the condition of the Nation's highway needs be submitted to Congress every two years.

The HPMS data form the basis of the analyses that support the biennial Condition and Performance Reports to Congress. These reports provide a comprehensive, factual background to support development and evaluation of the Administration's legislative, program, and budget options. They provide the rationale for requested Federal-aid Highway Program funding levels, and are used for apportioning Federal-aid funds back to the States under TEA-21; both of these activities ultimately affect every State that contributes data to the HPMS.

These data are also used for assessing highway system performance under FHWA's strategic planning process. Pavement condition data, congestion-related data, and traffic data used to determine fatality and injury rates are used extensively by the Administration to measure FHWA's and the State's progress in meeting the objectives embodied in the Vital Few, FHWA's Performance Plan, and other strategic goals.

In addition, the HPMS serves needs of the States, MPO's and local government and other customers in assessing highway condition, performance, air quality trends, and future investment requirements. Many States rely on traffic and travel data from the HPMS to conduct air quality analyses and make assessments related to determining air quality conformity, and are now using the same analysis models used by FHWA to assess their own highway investment needs, HERS-ST. As a result of these uses, States have an additional stake in assuring the completeness and quality of these data.

Finally, these data are the source of a large portion of information included in FHWA's annual Highway Statistics and other media and publications. They are widely used in both the national and international arenas by other governments, transportation professionals, and industry professionals to make decisions that impact national and local transportation systems and our transportation dependent economy.