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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Managing PFAS-Impacted Construction Materials at Airports</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2772550</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Airports across the United States are increasingly encountering per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) during construction projects, including in soils, concrete and asphalt pavements, building materials, stormwater, and groundwater. Construction activities such as airfield rehabilitation, terminal modernization, utility work, and other infrastructure projects create challenges related to material handling, reuse, disposal, regulatory compliance, and cost control. Although guidance on PFAS characterization continues to expand, airport owners and contractors lack practical, airport-specific guidance for managing PFAS-impacted materials during construction. As disposal options become more limited and regulatory requirements continue to evolve, airports face increasing costs, schedule delays, and uncertainty in managing construction-phase materials.

The objective of this research is to develop airport-specific guidance and practical tools for managing PFAS-impacted materials during construction projects. The research will synthesize construction-phase materials management practices used at airports and other infrastructure programs and develop a framework that links PFAS data quality, construction methods, and material handling options. The project will produce practitioner-ready resources, including materials management plan templates, decision flowcharts, handling guidance for different material types, and other implementation tools that airports can incorporate into construction planning, specifications, and contractor requirements to support consistent decision-making during airport capital improvement projects. The research will build on existing ACRP guidance by focusing specifically on construction-phase implementation rather than site investigation or PFAS characterization.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 16:45:40 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2772550</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>E-Ticketing Technologies for Efficient Asphalt Ticket Collection and Quantity Calculation</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2596426</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Every Day Counts program has highlighted e-Construction as a proven innovation to shorten the project delivery process, enhance roadway safety, reduce traffic congestion, and integrate automation. The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) has implemented many e-Construction innovations. The use of e-Ticketing software on construction projects will complement existing NMDOT e-Construction technologies.   
The decision was made to use an e-Ticketing platform by Haulhub Technologies on NMDOT projects during the 2024 project season. Biweekly meetings with Haulhub and the NMDOT e-Ticketing implementation team commenced in January 2024. User accounts for the implementation test were created for training and testing purposes.  An NMDOT landing page with a picture and a quote from the technology champion was created as an initiative introduction to contractors and vendors. 
Two Haulhub-led e-Ticketing training sessions were scheduled with construction crews and audit sections throughout the state. The sessions were held virtually and covered how to interact with ticket data on the mobile application online (how to mark tickets as delivered, input notes, and take pictures) and offline, how to submit a missing ticket report, and how to interact with the web interface including flex grid overview and daily and delivery reporting options.
A list of construction and audit users was sent to Haulhub for account creation in preparation for the training sessions. Once the accounts were created, users were able to interact with the e-Ticketing platform in advance of the training sessions. This interaction allowed users to formulate questions to ask during training sessions.   
E-Ticketing was optional for contractors starting on the July 2024 bid letting. When projects were let and subsequently awarded, the contractor was allowed to use e-Ticketing technology on their project. The contractor was reimbursed for the cost of any associated equipment via a bid item in the contract and submitted invoices. Contractors were notified of the potential for e-Ticketing use on projects via the Notice To Contractors (NTC). Information on the use of e-Ticketing was also dispersed through partnership associations with the Associated Contractors of New Mexico (ACNM) and the Asphalt Pavement Association of New Mexico (APANM). Contractor use of e-Ticketing will be mandatory starting in the September 2025 bid letting for all projects over 10,000 tons of asphalt.

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 2025 12:57:13 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2596426</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>ITD-Controlled Aggregate Material Source Modernization Project</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2298713</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Materials sources are an essential part of the planning, construction, and operation of 
Idaho Transportation Department's (ITD’s) highway network. Planning efforts must incorporate the location of existing ITD roadway corridors, the current availability of aggregates and future considerations for aggregate/land availability and price. Toward maintaining a network of quality materials sources, a Materials Source Purchase Program (MSPP) is available to assist the districts with the cost of purchasing materials sources. This program is funded by a source cost recovery fee assessed on material removed from ITD owned or controlled sources. However, ITD has not thoroughly evaluated the existing MSPP since 2007.
Although source recovery fees have remained stable, Idaho has seen rapid growth and skyrocketing demand for aggregates and property within the state. Consequently, prices for aggregates and land continue to rise steeply, while ITD’s source recovery fees and associated accounting have not been reviewed in nearly two decades. ITD is therefor at risk of not being able to further pursue and develop ITD-controlled aggregate sources, resulting in less competition in construction projects bidding. This project will independently evaluate the viability of the MSPP, identify deficiencies in aggregate sources and recovery fees, and establish a plan to effectively administer the MSPP in the future.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 29 Nov 2023 13:29:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2298713</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Field Evaluation of E-Ticketing Technologies for Efficient Asphalt Delivery Ticket Collection and Quantity Calculation</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1904960</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Every year state departments of transportation (DOTs) collect thousands of paper tickets
for delivering hot mix asphalt, warm mix asphalt, concrete, base course, embankment,
and other construction materials. Collecting paper load tickets is an antiquated practice
that exposes inspectors to substantial risk of death or personal injury by assigning them
adjacent to traffic or moving or backing equipment. In addition, paper-based load tickets
may be lost, and in some cases, it is difficult to decipher the information on the ticket due
to poor printing. Under the current system, paper-based load tickets are taken back to the
project office where they are summed and entered into an Excel spreadsheet for reporting
and payment purposes, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and error-prone. In
recent years, new e-Ticketing (i.e., electronic-ticketing) technologies enable the collection
of this information electronically, allowing for safer and more efficient inspection, rapid
project delivery and payment, reduced effort for ticket management, and near real-time
comparisons of theoretical tonnages and temperatures to actual tonnages and
temperatures. This research will conduct field evaluations of an e-Ticketing system on
several New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) paving projects throughout
the state of New Mexico. This project will also develop a guidebook for the implementation
of the tested e-Ticketing system to assist NMDOT with workforce development and
professional training.
The project team consists of researchers from the Department of Civil, Construction, and
Environmental Engineering and the Earth Data Analysis Center (EDAC) at the University
of New Mexico (UNM) along with two NMDOT divisions, including the Construction and
Civil Rights Bureau and the Research Bureau. The foundation for this research is based
on the principal investigators’ (PIs’) success in prior research on using various
technologies in pavement evaluation and construction material quantity estimation.
The proposed project will leverage recent advances in electronic-ticketing technologies
to implement a complete e-Ticketing system to collect load ticket information
electronically. The proposed project will also include field evaluations of the implemented
e-Ticketing system on several NMDOT paving projects throughout the state of New
Mexico. In addition, this research will increase NMDOT’s e-Construction knowledge and
provide additional guidance for other state DOTs wishing to adopt this technology. The
implementation and testing of an e-Ticketing system in New Mexico would also provide
workforce development and educational opportunities for the transportation professionals
and researchers involved in the project.
Research findings will be distributed through: (1) scientific peer-reviewed publications; (2)
training workshops; and (3) technology transfer to state DOTs, specifically state DOTs in
the Tran-SET region. The proposing institution serves a majority of minority populations,
including both Hispanics and Native Americans and the PIs will seek to engage students
from these populations in the proposed research]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 20 Jan 2022 14:41:58 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1904960</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4353: Central HMA Acceptance Lab Process Improvement Project</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1592205</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The INDOT Office of Materials Management team goal for this project is to improve organization, flow of work and efficiency in the central region HMA Acceptance Lab for all tests done. The research team will develop work flow diagrams using a process called Value Stream Mapping working with INDOT employees that work in the HMA Lab to document the current processes and then develop improved processes. We will then make an Action Plan to achieve the improved processes.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 13 Mar 2019 15:28:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1592205</guid>
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