SURFACE TRANSPORTATION CONGESTION RELIEF SOLUTIONS RESEARCH INITIATIVE.

SEC. 5502. [23 U.S.C. 502 note] SURFACE TRANSPORTATION CONGESTION RELIEF SOLUTIONS RESEARCH INITIATIVE. (a) Establishment.—The Secretary shall establish a surface transportation congestion solutions research initiative consisting of 2 independent research programs described in subsections (b)(1) and (b)(2) and designed to develop information to assist State transportation departments and metropolitan planning organizations measure and address surface transportation congestion problems. (b) Surface Transportation Congestion Solutions Research Program.— (1) Improved surface transportation congestion management system measures.—The purposes of the first research program established under this section shall be— (A) to examine the effectiveness of surface transportation congestion management systems since enactment of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (Public Law 102–240); (B) to identify best case examples of locally designed reporting methods and incorporate such methods in research on national models for developing and recommending improved surface transportation congestion measurement and reporting; and (C) to incorporate such methods in the development of national models and methods to monitor, measure, and report surface transportation congestion information. (2) Analytical techniques for action on surface transportation congestion.—The purposes of the second research program established under this section shall be— (A) to analyze the effectiveness of procedures used by State transportation departments and metropolitan planning organizations to assess surface transportation congestion problems and communicate those problems to decisionmakers; and (B) to identify methods to ensure that the results of surface transportation congestion analyses lead to the targeting of funding for programs, projects, or services with demonstrated effectiveness in reducing travel delay, congestion, and system unreliability. (c) Technical Assistance and Training.—In fiscal year 2006, the Secretary shall develop a technical assistance and training program to disseminate the results of the surface transportation congestion solutions research initiative for the purpose of assisting State transportation departments and local transportation agencies with improving their approaches to surface transportation congestion measurement, analysis, and project programming. (d) Funding.—Of the amounts made available by section 5101(a)(1) of this Act, $9,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2009 shall be available to carry out subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Of the amounts made available by section 5101(a)(2), $750,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2009 shall be available to carry out subsection (c) of this subsection.