The IHRB is an advisory board responsible for assisting the Iowa Counties, Iowa Cities and Iowa DOT in the development and continuation of an effective program of research and development in highway transportation. Board membership includes representatives of Iowa's city and county government highway agencies, the Iowa DOT, and Iowa's public universities.
IHRB was established in 1949 to provide guidance and oversight for the use of the primary, secondary, and municipal road research funds. Years later, the IHRB is still fulfilling that role, overseeing about 20 new projects each year involving transportation issues in Iowa. The value earned from this research is continually returned to Iowa taxpayers multifold through cost savings of innovations, improved safety, and the implementation of proactive technologies.
The Board is composed of 15 members:
- Seven engineers employed by Iowa counties.
- Two engineers employed by Iowa municipalities.
- The Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The University of Iowa and the Chair of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at Iowa State University.
- Four Iowa DOT engineers, representing the DOT.
For each Board member, an alternate is also appointed to serve at the member’s request when the member is unable to attend.
Back to topResearch Ideas & Proposals
The IHRB encourages submission of research ideas that consider all aspects of transportation and related infrastructure through research, innovation, implementation, and technology transfer efforts. If you have an idea that may merit evaluation, please visit our Submit Ideas page.
The Iowa Highway Research Board will periodically publish requests for proposal (RFPs). Visit the Requests for Proposal page for more information and to sign up to receive notifications on new RFPs posted. Proposals submitted to the IHRB outside of these requested areas may be accepted on only a limited, case-by-case basis.
Back to topProject Examples
Iowa has made strides in transportation research with IHRB funding. See our active IHRB projects.
Back to topIHRB Meeting Information
The IHRB generally holds meetings on the last Friday of every month; however, the board does not meet in January or August. The November and December meetings are combined, taking place in the same week as the Iowa County Engineer Association Conference (in the first part of December).
To receive notifications about IHRB announcements and future meeting agendas, please sign up for the Iowa Highway Research Board subscription topic.
- Meeting dates – Future meeting dates planned for the next four years can be found in our IHRB Meeting Dates PDF.
- View upcoming agendas and previous minutes meetings
- Subscribe here to receive notice of meetings and a copy of the agenda.
IHRB Documents
Business Plan
The IHRB Business Plan outlines the operating procedures of the board and its activities.
Annual Report
The IHRB published a summary of research activities for the previous Fiscal Year in January.