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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>Determine Effectiveness of Construction Management Plans</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2255827</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A Construction Management Plan (CMP) is a document that describes the project execution plan and sequence of construction activities that can be performed in the project considering pending clearances related to unclear utility conflicts, right-of-way (ROW) acquisition, ROW encroachments, ROW relocation, and/or outstanding railroad agreements. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) CMPs are required for projects where the estimates for certification and permit clearance extend beyond three months after letting. One of the main goals of CMPs is to mitigate the risk of construction delays. Since the implementation of CMPs a few years ago, TxDOT has not conducted a thorough review of their effectiveness to date. Therefore, the main objectives of this research project are to conduct a review of TxDOT CMPs, verify the potential impact of TxDOT CMPs on change orders and claims, compile lessons learned, and develop recommendations to make TxDOT CMPs more effective. A guidebook and training materials will be developed to facilitate implementation by districts, divisions, consultants, and contractors.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 27 Sep 2023 14:48:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2255827</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>SPR-4739:  Sinusoidal Rumble Strips Measures of Effectiveness</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2026877</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will estimate and compare the safety performance of conventional and sinusoidal rumble strips to inform INDOT’s decision of rumble strip design. Edge-line rumble stripes narrower than standard 12” will be checked for safety and warning effectiveness to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists within existing road shoulders together with stripes.  Crash Modification Factors will be estimated for several types of crashes at three levels of crash severity to help select alternative safety countermeasures including rumble stripes lateral location: centerline only, shoulder only, and centerline plus shoulder.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 21 Sep 2022 14:29:36 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2026877</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Assessing the Economic Benefits of the Transportation Infrastructure Model for Development (TIMED) Program</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1634280</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary objective of this research is to identify measures that could be used to estimate the economic development impact of transportation improvement projects in Louisiana.  These measures could be surrogate measures, such as property taxes, employment, population, etc., or could be direct measures of economic impact, in dollar terms.  It is then desirable to apply these measures to the Transportation Infrastructure Model for Development (TIMED) program’s 14 completed projects, to establish a baseline, so that the measures could then be used to assess the economic development potentials of future transportation projects, thereby helping in the decision-making process, and leading to a methodology that will assess potential quantitatively from an economic development point of view.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jul 2019 21:54:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1634280</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of Low Cost Safety Improvements</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1483587</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The goal of this research is to develop reliable estimates of the effectiveness of the safety improvements that are identified as strategies in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 500 Guides. These estimates are determined by conducting scientifically rigorous before-after evaluations at sites in the U.S. where these strategies are being implemented.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 23 Sep 2017 21:04:17 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1483587</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Methods for State DOTs to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Transportation Sector</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1467498</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Many methods and tools are available to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to evaluate expected GHG emissions reductions from transportation-related strategies. Despite the availability of methods, state DOTs face challenges to the integration of these methods into their planning and programming processes, including limited funding, incomplete data, lack of staff capacity, absence of strong incentives, and the addition of another layer of analysis to an already complex transportation decision-making process. These challenges make it difficult for state DOTs to develop and manage the transportation system in a way that will reduce GHG emissions, and to document changes in GHG emissions from the transportation sector. 
 
Selecting appropriate methods requires matching the needs and decision-making context of a state DOT with the characteristics of the method. Some state DOTs have adopted a method to evaluate GHG emissions reductions, yet struggle to link it with planning and programming decisions. State DOTs mandated to reduce GHG emissions from the transportation sector need a robust method to evaluate reductions that provides clear direction for selecting effective transportation strategies and defensible estimates of expected impacts on emissions while accounting for confounding factors and uncertainty. Other states may be interested in methods to calculate cost-effectiveness of transportation strategies in reducing GHG emissions.
 
Guidance on GHG emissions reduction strategies for state DOTs was developed under the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) Capacity Project C09, titled Incorporating Greenhouse Gas Emissions into the Collaborative Decision-Making Process (https://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/166936.aspx). The practitioner guide and accompanying research report include information on GHG-reducing transportation strategies and a technical framework for assessing baseline GHG emissions and the effects of potential projects and strategies. The technical information was accompanied by a series of case studies of state DOT and metropolitan planning organization (MPO) efforts to assess GHG emissions in planning and project development. Although the SHRP2 project provided considerable detail on available methods, implementation of the framework has been limited. 
 
Since the SHRP2 effort, new methods and tools have been developed. Among these is FHWA’s Energy and Emissions Reduction Policy Analysis Tool (EERPAT), which evaluates the energy implications of a wide variety of policy options at the state or county level. Currently available methods vary considerably in their level of detail, data requirements, rigor, and applicability to state DOT planning and programming decisions. Selecting a method to evaluate GHG emissions reductions requires understanding the appropriateness of the method for the decision-making context, identifying opportunities to integrate GHG considerations into the decision-making process, as well as gaining leadership support and building organizational capacity to apply the method. Technical issues including data availability must also be resolved.
 
The objective of this project was to provide guidance on currently available, practical, and innovative methods for state DOTs to assess and advance transportation-related GHG reduction strategies in planning and programming. The guidance will support state DOTs’ efforts to integrate GHG emissions considerations into their decision-making processes as well as methods appropriate for collaborative activities undertaken with partners to shape outcomes outside the purview of a state DOT. The guidance should be relevant for the evolving role of state DOTs and be adaptable to a changing regulatory environment at the state and federal levels, while also considering uncertainties related to future travel behavior, the future vehicle fleet, and other demographic and technological changes.
 
The project also sought to broaden the practice of addressing GHG emissions in state DOT decision making through targeted implementation activities to support state DOT adoption or updating of GHG emissions reduction methods.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 19 May 2017 08:49:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1467498</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>NCLOS Program Update for the HCM 6th Edition</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1424437</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The North Carolina Level of Service (NCLOS) program is a planning-level highway capacity analysis tool developed for North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) under a previous project. The program originally used methodologies in the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), along with specific default parameters from North Carolina data, to determine level-of-service (LOS) threshold "capacities" for freeways, multilane highways, two-lane highways, and arterial streets. Shortly after the release of the HCM 2010 edition, the NCLOS program was updated in a follow-up project. NCLOS is unique in that it provides a graphical display of the measures of effectiveness (MOE) plotted against annual average daily traffic (AADT) for each facility type. Users see best case, default case, and worst case curves, plus a highlighted curve for the LOS selected for the analysis. 
The NCLOS program is being used extensively in planning applications within NCDOT. Output capacities are used in travel demand forecasting models and in developing Comprehensive Transportation Plans (CTP). Output values can also be used in the statewide travel demand model. Currently the tool is also used to provide data for the Performance Metrics Dashboard and is used as a scoring component in the Strategic Prioritization Process and Urban Loop Prioritization Process. 

In early 2016, the HCM 6th Edition will be available for transportation facility analyses. There are significant and important improvements for many of the methodologies in the new HCM based on the most recent national research over the last 5-6 years. As with previous editions of the manual, the HCM 6th Edition will become the standard for determining capacity of most highway facilities. It will be critical for NCLOS to be re-programmed to incorporate these new methodologies and other enhancements to remain current with the state-of-the-practice. 

The project will provide technical support to NCDOT programmers who will be re-programming NCLOS as a web-based application. This will help ensure consistency in using default values within the program as there will be only one file hosted on a server. 

From data provided by NCDOT, the researchers expect to have traffic count data on a representative sample of highway segments to analyze including segments from the past research effort. This will provide a good basis for default inputs across the state for a range of highway facilities and subcategories within a facility type. Researchers will also be discussing other input values with appropriate units within NCDOT. Finally, the researchers will use the improved NCLOS software to update the Comprehensive Transportation Planning Manual to bring the default tables and guidance up to speed with the HCM 6th Edition.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 2016 14:04:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1424437</guid>
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      <title>Multi-State In-Service Performance Evaluations of Roadside Safety Hardware</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1407186</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this research was to develop a unified format and national compatible ISPE methodology employing various individual state database parameters. The implementation of the methodology was to include an electronic tool, guidance document, and training for performing an ISPE on roadside safety hardware devices either by a corridor or system type analysis. The results of the developed ISPE methodology were to be demonstrated and verified by a pilot effort, which were to include hosting a workshop and post workshop technical support to selected states. The workshop was to provide a pilot implementation training program and training materials to demonstrate the new protocol and identify any common issues and challenges of conducting a multi-state ISPE on selected roadside safety hardware devices for state transportation agencies, such as but not limited to various data parameters, limitations and measures of effectiveness. The guidance is intended to be used by state transportation agency officials. The research was to build upon previous work, provide guidance, and address the opportunities, challenges, institutional barriers, and associated costs of a state and a multi-state ISPE.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 12 May 2016 15:26:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1407186</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Strategic Management System with Performance Measures for Rhode Island Department of Transportation</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1231909</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Performance measures have been incorporated almost universally by government and the private sector to monitor the effectiveness of operational strategies and to evaluate the success of achieving agency targets. A system of performance measures which flow from a sound strategy with strategic initiatives and goals have a variety of benefits. They provide accountability as well as feedback on the effectiveness of long-term strategies, and can drive improvement in processes for the delivery of transportation services. Performance measures in planning are used in reporting trends, conditions, and outcomes resulting from improvements to the transportation system. The ability to measure performance of key functional areas is essential to evaluating the organizational benefits of these functions. In the context of government, those functions that can demonstrate greater societal benefits garner political support and the corresponding budgetary support. However, those governmental functions that can't demonstrate and demonstrate their benefits to society have problems justifying their existence and budgetary support. Therefore, it is important that metrics be developed to measure the performance of governmental functions with links to financial benefits to society. In doing so, a function can easily justify its existence and can quantify increased budgetary support.  The aim of the project is to develop a Mission, Vision, Shared values, Agency level Strategy with selected strategic initiatives and key performance indicators that are consistent with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Strategic Plan and that of the State of Rhode Island.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:28:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1231909</guid>
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