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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <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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      <title>Vehicles over dunes: Bio cementation-based Coastal Infrastructure for Flood Protection and Beach Access</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2425114</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The research team proposes to study bio-cementation (via microbially- and enzymatically induced carbonate precipitation) as a method to stabilize engineered dune slopes in coastal areas. These stabilization methods are intended as a nature-based engineering solution for use in the construction of beach access ramps that can support vehicular traffic loads while simultaneously resisting erosion due to wave impact. The erosion resistance will be evaluated by subjecting untreated and treated dune sand slopes to varying wave forcing conditions in a moveable-bed wave flume. The resistance to traffic loading will be evaluated by measuring the unconfined compression strength and resilient modulus of untreated and bio-cemented soil columns. Test results will be analyzed to address the effectiveness of both bio-cementation methods in stabilizing dune slopes.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 03 Sep 2024 19:21:49 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Investigating the Efficacy of Natural and Nature-based Features to Increase the Service Life of Coastal Roadways</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1948616</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Seven of the top ten costliest U.S. natural disasters are coastal events, with hurricanes alone
causing $23.5 billion in damage annually to infrastructure. Moreover, rising sea levels will amplify
transportation infrastructure vulnerability to coastal storms, nuisance flooding, and wave actions,
especially towards pavement infrastructure which are critical based on the mileage of the
intermodal transportation network that connects communities, waterways, ports, and rail. To
protect pavement infrastructure from flooding, the state-of-practice involves hard (grey)
structures, raising roadway elevations, reinforcing infrastructure, and relocating roadways further
inland. In the last decade, federal agencies such as NOAA, FHWA, and USACE have led an
initiative to explore the design and integration of natural and nature-based features (NNBFs) in
increasing the resilience of transportation infrastructure while providing ecosystem benefits.
Natural features are existing ecosystems that include coastal marshes and wetlands, dune and
beach systems, oyster and coral reefs, forests, coastal rivers and floodplains, and barrier islands
that provide multiple benefits to communities, such as storm protection through wave attenuation
or flood storage capacity and enhanced water services and security. In recent years, the FHWA
also began exploring NNBFs as innovative green infrastructure to protect coastal highways,
starting with an implementation guide and pilot studies. Before NNBFs can be effectively
transferred into practice in Louisiana, there is an important need to establish the level of flood
protection and economic metrics to compare NNBFs and grey infrastructure; and to assess the
long-term efficacy of NNBFs to protect transportation infrastructure under a range of flooding
scenarios. The overarching objective of this research project is to establish the level of flood
protection and economic metrics to compare natural and nature-based features (NNBFs) and
grey infrastructure; and to assess the long-term efficacy of NNBFs to protect transportation
infrastructure under a range of flooding scenarios. The objectives of this research project is to (1)
evaluate the damage to transportation infrastructure after Hurricane Ida, (2) evaluate the efficacy
of grey infrastructure and NNBFs to provide hurricane surge and wave protection, and (3) quantify
the potential economic benefits of NNBFs to its resiliency towards extreme events. Hurricane Ida
case studies near Port Fourchon and Grand Isle will be used as case studies to evaluate the
performance of roadway and bridge infrastructure, along with NNBFs (beach and dunes,
wetlands, and mangroves). The findings of this research will result in a better understanding of
natural and nature-based features for protecting of coastal transportation infrastructure systems
for the states in the South Central area and all other States as they are all prone to the adverse
effects of natural disasters. A final report will detail information on the methodology used for this
research and data acquisition of pertinent information for NNB natural disasters such as the
condition of flood control structures, power lines, street level conditions of roads, rising water
levels, number of damaged homes and waste debris piles, among many other.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 06 May 2022 11:20:47 GMT</pubDate>
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