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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <language>en-us</language>
    <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>
    <image>
      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
      <url>https://rip.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle-RIP.jpg</url>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Alternative Construction Contracting Mechanisms for Transportation Projects in the US Northeast Region</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2310161</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary goal of this project is to increase stakeholder education and support wider adoption of the Design Build (DB) contracting method by transportation owners in New Jersey and the Northeast region. DB has been utilized widely across the construction sector over the last 20 years, with notable benefits on schedule performance and design innovation. In the state of New Jersey, DB became available through the “Design-Build Construction Procurement Act” on April 2021.

OBJECTIVE: The intended outcome is a comprehensive report and presentation that can guide transportation agencies and bidders in New Jerseyy through the DB method, differences and challenges across states, and steps to implement and increase DB efficiency in their organizations through changes in procurement processes, stipend allocations, selection processes or request for proposal (RFP) requirements.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 Nov 2025 19:19:52 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2310161</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Predicting urban stormwater flooding using geomorphic information</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2485390</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Stormwater flooding has emerged as a major challenge in urban areas due to its widespread and adverse impacts on transportation and the normal functioning of the economy. It can also cause loss of life. To predict the depth and duration of flooding at a specific locale, one could use the tools developed for river flooding (due to backwater). These include accurately mapping the terrain and running hydrologic software such as SWMM or HEC-HMS followed by hydraulic engineering software such as HEC-RAS. However, due to the high number of flooding locations, such a task is cost prohibitive. 

For this reason, the research team proposes to develop empirical correlations that could predict the discharge and the depth of sheet flow and their durations based on easily measurable quantities, such as upslope, downslope, area, land-use, etc.. To obtain these correlations, the team will select twenty archetypical sites in the City of Newark along with standard design storms to conduct the standard hydrologic modeling approach followed by hydraulic engineering calculations. The team will then correlate various aspects of the hydrographs and water depths with the geomorphic factors stated above. The team believes that such an approach, if successful, would allow rapid evaluation of flooding in Newark and other similar cities, such as New York City, and will thus allow contingency planning and appropriate allocation of transit resources. 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 05 Jan 2025 15:51:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2485390</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Enhancing Urban Micromobility Safety and Adoption through Biometrics and Mobile Sensing Technologies in El Paso, TX and New Brunswick, NJ</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2459052</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will explore how street-level infrastructure design factors affect the perceived safety of e-scooters in El Paso, Texas, and New Brunswick, New Jersey, using advanced biometric sensing technologies like eye-tracking glasses, galvanic skin response sensors, heart rate trackers, and video cameras. Researchers at the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) and Rutgers will conduct e-scooter riding experiments with varied environments, infrastructure, demographics, and micromobility policies. This analysis aims to identify stress patterns, safety issues, and congestion challenges faced by micromobility users. Thirty participants will be recruited in each city, with diverse demographics, to ride e-scooters on pre-defined paths featuring different travel environments, such as bike lanes, varied land uses, shaded areas, and topographies. The post-trip questionnaire survey data will be collected to calibrate/validate sensor results. The sensor data on the perceived travel environment will be digitized using advanced segmentation and object detection algorithms applied to video and gaze data. Statistical and machine learning models will analyze gaze behavior and perceived stress levels by environment, providing insights on improved infrastructure design and transportation policies for e-scooters.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 21 Nov 2024 16:37:55 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2459052</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Weight-In-Motion (WIM) Analysis for New Jersey Bridges for Establishing Various Live Load Models for Design and Bridges Management Task</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2410355</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The goal of the study is to analyze NJ’s recorded weigh-in-motion (WIM) data for establishing various live load models for the design and evaluation of bridges. In addition, the objective is to calibrate the load factors based on the latest edition of the “Manual of Bridge Evaluation (MBE)” for Specialized Hauling Vehicles (SHVs) to avoid (if possible) load posting of bridges. The main tool to analyze the live load effect on bridges is utilizing reliable WIM data. Although there is a gigantic, collected WIM database for New Jersey, there is a need for a reliability-based analysis to update and improve the live load models for bridges in the state of New Jersey as follows:

• Permit trucks with various axle configurations will be identified using WIM data analysis. This will provide an opportunity for NJDOT to add additional live load models (i.e., live load models exceeding the gross weight of more than 80,000) for load rating and evaluate its process for issuing or granting annual permits.

• Validate NJ’s existing LRFD permit load model (i.e., 8-axle & 200 kips) and make necessary changes if needed. Different live load factors would be established for both new bridges and existing bridges.

• Analyze NJ’s existing steel bridge data (e.g., Rolled steel I girder with E and E’ fatigue category) to identify the risk of load-induced fatigue cracking.

• Analyze NJ’s existing steel bridge data (e.g., welded plate girder with skew angle equal to or greater than 30 degrees with staggered cross frames/diaphragms) to identify the risk of distortion-induced fatigue cracking.

• Validate NJ’s existing load factor of 1.30 for operating rating of SHVs to avoid (if possible) load posting of bridges.

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Jul 2024 10:40:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2410355</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Identifying Travel Needs for South Jersey and Shore Customer Surveys</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2379588</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Bus ridership has declined over the past decade both nationally and within New Jersey, with a more pronounced reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic due to changes in travel behavior and commuting patterns. Although ridership has gradually recovered in recent years, levels in many regions, including New Jersey, remain below pre-pandemic conditions. NJ TRANSIT operates an extensive bus network that supports mobility, accessibility, and regional connectivity, particularly in South Jersey and the Shore region; however, recent post-COVID travel patterns, seasonal variations in demand, and workforce-related travel needs are not fully understood, limiting the ability to design targeted service improvements. This study evaluates travel behavior and transit needs across fourteen NJ TRANSIT bus routes using onboard rider surveys and field-based employee and employer surveys. The analysis identifies travel patterns, service gaps, and unmet mobility needs across weekday, weekend, and seasonal conditions, including origin–destination patterns, rider characteristics, and factors influencing transit use and non-use. The findings highlight key service challenges, including reliability, frequency, accessibility, and competition with private vehicles, as well as workforce-related commuting needs. These data-driven insights support the development of targeted strategies to improve transit performance and enhance bus services in South Jersey and the Shore region.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 13 May 2024 11:16:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2379588</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Extend Service Life of Concrete Bridges Decks with Internal Curing</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2292366</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The EPIC2 initiative, one of the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) EDC-7 innovations, investigates the implementation of Internally Cured Concrete. This emerging technology shows potential benefits such as improved project life cycle costs and enhanced sustainability when implemented in New Jersey, particularly for bridge deck applications. The process involves replacing a portion of normal fine aggregate with prewetted Lightweight Fine Aggregate (LWFA), which stores water inside fine aggregate particles. These particles are evenly distributed through the concrete matrix and slowly releases their trapped moisture during the curing process, providing a more consistent curing effect. High performance concrete (HPC) particularly benefits from this process due to its low permeability which reduces the effectiveness of conventional curing. HPC is also known for its rapid hydration and strength gain which increases sensitivity to early age cracking under restrained conditions, such as those existing in a cast in place bridge deck. This project investigates numerous internal curing materials for usage in NJDOT internally cured HPC (HPIC) and proposes methodology for implementation in New Jersey.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 15 Nov 2023 17:59:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2292366</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of a Vision-Based Landside Traffic Management System for Congestion and Safety Monitoring at Airports
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2283489</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Landside traffic management at airports is crucial for monitoring congestion and safety. Currently, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) currently relies on traditional traffic data collection methods and manual observations from their cameras to monitor landside traffic at the John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport. This becomes especially significant given JFK's ongoing $19 billion expansion and its daily service to nearly 62 million passengers. The research team proposes developing an operationalized computer vision-based analytics tool in collaboration with PANYNJ that will leverage JFK's existing cameras and provide real-time traffic data extraction, assisting the Transportation Management Center (PA-TMC) in its decision-making process. Key features include real-time traffic alerts, evaluations of the mobility and safety impacts from frontage modifications, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven assessments of construction zones. By using JFK as a demonstration, this initiative seeks to enhance the efficiency of airport traffic monitoring, ultimately benefiting the regional economy and improving passenger satisfaction.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Oct 2023 22:36:55 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2283489</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development and Evaluation of C-V2X Technologies for Application in Middlesex County</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2169766</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary goals of this proposal are (1) to identify the existing traffic, safety, and environmental problems caused by pass-through traffic and natural calamities in New Brunswick, NJ; (2) to foster partnerships with local agencies and communities, focusing on their needs and concerns; (3) to introduce resilient transportation solutions that would minimize traffic spillbacks and enhance safety and (4) to aim for a transportation system that reduces environmental impact, particularly in the face of natural disasters.

The intended outcome of the project is the development of cutting-edge software or application dedicated to community mobility, providing real-time alerts, traffic updates, and safety measures.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 21 Oct 2023 10:38:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2169766</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Assessment of Waterfront Asset Resiliency</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2255636</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary goal of this proposal is to enhance the understanding of hazards, vulnerabilities, and potential impacts on critical assets at the Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club and develop effective strategies for risk reduction and resilience enhancement.

The intended outcome of the project is to generate data to develop a “Waterfront Infrastructure GeoDatabase Interface” or WIGI, viewable as a customized Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) ArcGIS Pro Software Application that will include a geolocated 3D visualization of identified assets with their associated attribute tables, and functionality to perform RAMCAP analysis. This tool will provide valuable insights for the Yacht Club Management to make informed decisions, plan to allocate resources effectively, and enhance the overall resilience of their waterfront site.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 03 Oct 2023 21:35:01 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2255636</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Hydrologic Modeling Framework for Assessing Future Riverine Flood Risk of Critical Transportation Infrastructure</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2255635</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary goal of this proposal is to develop a high-resolution distributed hydrologic model for the state of New Jersey. The model will provide space-time information of streamflow during flood events and will be calibrated/validated against United States Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow stations. The calibrated model will run for various Global Climate Model scenarios to simulate flood response in the future. Analysis of future flood simulations will be carried out to identify “hot spots” of future riverine flood risk.

The intended outcome of the project is a distributed hydrologic model setup for the state of New Jersey, which will be used for several other studies/applications related to flood warning and flood risk analysis.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 25 Sep 2023 18:09:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2255635</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Multi-Hazard Design of Highway Bridges</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2241392</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research report provides framework and recommendations for guidelines for designing and maintaining New Jersey bridges to resist multiple hazards, based om literature reviews, input of subject matter experts (SMEs), and researchers’ findings and studies. It identifies various hazards such as earthquakes, flooding, storm surge, scour, wind, collisions, fire, blast, and site-specific risks for structural system guidance covering superstructures, substructures, connections, and energy dissipation measures. Individual hazards in accordance with AASHTO, NJDOT, and NJDEP requirements was described to explain how to address multi-hazard interactions through appropriate load combinations. Implementation guidelines are proposed for integration with NJDOT design procedures.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 07 Sep 2023 17:27:52 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2241392</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>NJDOT Corrosion Study on Steel Structural Members</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2132216</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This report provides a comprehensive analysis of steel corrosion in New Jersey, combining a review of corrosion processes and protective strategies with empirical data from bridge inspections. Statistical analysis of paint condition data is presented to evaluate the performance of various protective systems, while a survey of uncoated weathering-steel bridges offers insight into their long-term durability. The findings highlight that deterioration rates are strongly dependent on exposure category, with three-coat zinc-rich systems outperforming alternatives, though beam ends, fascia beams, and bearings remain especially vulnerable. Weathering steel generally performs well but exhibits inferior performance in coastal environments and at overpasses subjected to heavy de-icing agent applications. Based on these findings, the report recommends targeted maintenance strategies, including routine bridge washing and timing of spot- and over-coating based on exposure categories. It further emphasizes the importance of improved detailing to reduce moisture entrapment and refinement of inspection protocols such as adhesion testing for patina evaluation. Policy-focused recommendations include refining Qualified Products Lists (QPL) to better accommodate new coating technologies and developing predictive models based on inspection data to plan maintenance more effectively.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 06 Mar 2023 10:52:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2132216</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of NJDOT Hardened Traffic Paint Markings and Stripes Performance</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2124968</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Pavement markings are essential for guiding drivers, enhancing roadway safety, and supporting Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and automated driving technologies. Their effectiveness depends on visibility under all conditions, day or night,
clear or adverse weather. While retroreflectivity is a standard metric for nighttime visibility, it does not account for other critical factors such as pavement background color, marking width, or observational conditions, nor does it reflect daytime performance. Degradation is often accelerated by weather, traffic volume, poor surface preparation, and inadequate drying time or thickness. Some newly applied markings fail prematurely, highlighting the need for routine performance evaluation. This study analyzes technical and performance data of various pavement marking materials to identify those best suited for New Jersey’s conditions. It also assesses drying time, durability, cost benefits, and the role of temporary markings, while proposing alternative testing protocols and specifications for quick deployment in case of supply chain disruptions. The findings aim to improve installation practices, enhance maintenance strategies, and ensure markings meet visibility needs for both human drivers and autonomous vehicle sensors.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 06 Mar 2023 10:41:51 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2124968</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Understanding How Marginalized Genders Travel Using NJ Transit</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2132217</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Through this research, NJ TRANSIT sought to understand how women and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer plus community, sometimes referred to as sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) travel on NJ TRANSIT so the agency can provide better accommodations for all customers, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The objective of this study was to explore the travel behavior and experiences of public transit users in New Jersey and to understand the relationship between travel experiences, perceptions of safety, gender, and sexual orientation. The hypothesis is that women and SGMs have different travel behaviors and experiences than men and that women and SGMs are more likely to have concerns about safety and security while using NJ TRANSIT. To achieve this objective, the research team conducted a comprehensive literature review and peer agency interviews to assess the state of knowledge on this topic and to document how other agencies are addressing the needs and concerns of women and SGMs using public transit. The research team also conducted a statewide travel behavior survey and six focus groups with NJ TRANSIT customers.
Results show that that there are differences in how women and SGMs use NJ TRANSIT services and that SGMs, particularly transgender/gender non-conforming persons, were disproportionately likely to have safety and security concerns, and to have experienced harassment while using NJ TRANSIT services. The research further found that the vast majority of harassment incidents (84 percent) go unreported and that SGMs were less likely to trust authorities when reporting a harassment incident compared to other populations. When controlled for other variables, these differences were generally not explained by differences in race and income. NJ TRANSIT mode also played some role in perceptions and experiences safety and harassment, with light rail users being more likely to report having safety/security concerns or having been harassed/assaulted while using transit compared to users of other modes. This may be due to the fact that light rail operations are conducted on an honor system, generally with fewer NJ TRANSIT employees present during service hours.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 06 Mar 2023 10:36:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2132217</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>An Artificial Intelligence-Aided System for Automated Detection of Trespassing at Grade Crossings</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2096553</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The project will research and analyze trespasser detection at New Jersey Transit highway rail crossings to reduce fatalities. New Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology will gather data and help transit agencies develop trespasser avoidance solutions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2023 14:49:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2096553</guid>
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