Surface Transportation Research and Development Act of 2021

This bill addresses provisions related to surface transportation research, development, and deployment programs of the Department of Transportation (DOT).

• reauthorizes through FY2026 DOT highway research and development programs, including highway safety, technology and innovation deployment, training and education, and intelligent transportation systems;
• sets forth a program to provide awards to institutions of higher education or nonprofit research organizations to establish regional road weather research and development centers;
• reauthorizes through FY2026 the University Transportation Centers Program, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the public transportation research and development program, the National Cooperative Rail Research Program, the hazardous materials research and development program, and the National Cooperative Freight Transportation Research Program;
• establishes Centers of Excellence to advance research and development that improves the resilience of regions of the United States to natural disasters, extreme weather, and the effects of climate change on modal and multimodal transportation and infrastructure;
• directs DOT to carry out and publish the results of a study for the purpose of informing land use and transportation planning for accessible health, food, education, and other essential services and activities; and
• requires DOT to establish a multimodal national cooperative freight transportation research program, a Heavy Freight Automated Trucking Research Initiative, and an Advanced Transportation Research and Innovation Program.