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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>
      <url>https://rip.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle-RIP.jpg</url>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of VDOT Historic Bridge Survey, Review, and Management Information</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2561782</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Since the 1970s, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), through the Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC) has conducted studies to manage its historically significant bridges as well as developing (and updating periodically) a statewide historic bridge management plan and conducting studies on rehabilitating and moving historic truss bridges, truss bridge eye bar deterioration, and feasibility of alternative uses.  Further, specific projects relating to individual bridges are covered by separate guidance documents, cultural resource reviews, Memoranda of Agreement (MOA), or by Programmatic Agreement (PA) documents.  These surveys, projects, and agreements are documented by various VTRC survey files, reports, and memos, as well as documents filed in VDOT district Environmental offices and VDOT Environmental Division files in VDOT's Central Office.  However, there is no one document containing this information.

In the late 2010s, VDOT’s Central Office cultural resource staff identified a need for a synthesis document that would consolidate information regarding historic bridges.  The lack of such a synthesis resulted in gaps in the cultural resource records regarding these bridges, which is problematic for newer VDOT personnel who periodically must put together information on the previous projects that have involved these bridges.  Phase I of this synthesis, collecting information from the initial and early VDOT/VTRC historic bridge projects (covering 1972-1993), was completed in 2022.  This Phase 2 will continue the collection of this information from 1993 to the present, such that this report will be a final synthesis report covering 1972 to the present.  This report will contain data on the cultural resource surveys, reviews, studies, management plans, published reports and agreements, including MOAs and PAs.  Because a VDOT-specific synthesis like this has not been published before, this report could be a model for future updates based on additional historic bridge surveys, reviews, and management projects. 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 05 Jun 2025 10:34:33 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2561782</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Research on Digital Collaboration Using IFC and BIM Technology</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2499100</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Traditional project delivery includes the development of information rich 2D and 3D models which are then printed to PDF files for construction purposes. Printing a model to a PDF causes the loss of important data that can be embedded in the design objects such as pay items, specifications, material requirements and asset data. This data must be recreated in other parts of the plans in a fashion that is not connected to the original design object. In addition, asset information is not collected until after the completion of the project. This is an inefficient process which could be optimized to produce considerable cost and time savings. The use of building information model (BIM) technology should allow for users of the data to have the data that they need within the model of the project. In 2019, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) adopted Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) as the national standard for AASHTO states to exchange digital information. In theory, this should provide a mechanism for the seamless transfer of data throughout the lifecycle of an asset. Adopting the use of IFC models should allow for a collaborative environment where data about the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)’s assets can be housed, tracked, and transferred to other databases. The purpose of this research is to document current MDOT dataflows for MDOT design objects and to understand how IFC or other technologies will allow for the transfer of relevant business data at specific data handoff points.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 28 Jan 2025 15:28:32 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2499100</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Streamline and Document Construction Project Closeout Process</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2244510</link>
      <description><![CDATA[To close out a construction project Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) must perform final inspections, confirm material certifications, and verify pay quantities. An efficient project closeout quickly releases appropriated funding for use on other projects. Procedures are in place for different review levels to ensure all closeout requirements are completed, but they — along with other documents related to project closeout — must be reviewed at regular intervals to verify their compliance with federal and state statutes, regulations, specifications, and directives. As such, the Cabinet must thoroughly review all requirements and instructions for final project documents and establish best practices for each level of review.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 14 Sep 2023 08:49:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2244510</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Establishing a KYTC Lessons Learned Database</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2039849</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) delivers projects that vary widely in terms of scope and timeline. These range from megaprojects (e.g., Louisville Bridges) and multi-year efforts (e.g., Bridging Kentucky, Interstate 69) to emergency repairs (e.g., Brent Spence Bridge fire) and smaller projects geared toward improving safety (e.g., HSIP). Every project generates multiple learning experiences that inform how engineers address ongoing and future projects as well as agency practices. However, often these experiences are translated into tacit knowledge or only informally communicated between staff. Such exchanges are valuable, but they do not create a permanent record that employees — including future hires — can consult. As staff turns over, eventually lessons learned are lost. This project will provide accurate, sustainable, and user-friendly procedures for documenting lessons learned once projects conclude; and implement a process for maintaining a database of best practices for different project types.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Oct 2022 12:57:52 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2039849</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Practices. Topic 54-04. Mobile Devices as a Tool for Digitalized Project Documentation and Inspection</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1953241</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Consumer-grade mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets, peripheral devices, and Rovers, are increasingly used as innovative tools in construction project delivery, documentation, and inspection. Advances in camera technology combined with increased accuracy in geolocation, graphical displays, and LiDAR abilities provide a powerful construction technology that is also widely accessible and used by most construction professionals on jobsites. Mobile device applications that can be used by construction professionals include digitized documents; geolocation of data; augmented reality with engineering precision; capturing 3D images of as-built conditions through built-in LiDAR cameras; object recognition through AI; viewing of 3D models; access to inspection history; connecting QA results to the model; data storage, object recognition, and feature extraction methods; and improved communications.

The objective of this synthesis was to document state DOT practices for using mobile devices to support digitized project delivery, documentation, and inspection. Information for this study was gathered through a literature review, a survey of state DOTs, and follow-up interviews with selected DOTs. Case examples of five state DOTs provide additional information on using mobile devices to support digitized project documentation and inspection.

Dr. Hala Nassereddine and her colleagues at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, collected and synthesized the information and wrote the report. The members of the topic panel are acknowledged on page iv. This synthesis is an immediately useful document that records state DOT practices on the use of mobile devices to support digitized project documentation and inspection that were acceptable within the limitations of the knowledge available at the time of its preparation. As progress in research and practice continues, new knowledge will be added to that now at hand. The Synthesis was published as NCHRP Synthesis 635.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 17 May 2022 10:12:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1953241</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Legal Problems Arising out of Highway Programs. Topic 26-01. Effects of Indian Treaties on Development and Operation of Transportation Facilities</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1889475</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The State of Washington was recently required to redesign the culverts beneath its roads to facilitate the passage of salmon. This mandate arose from the interpretation of treaties with American Indian tribes dating back to the 1850s, which predated Washington’s admission to the United States. These treaties specifically address fishing rights. A proceeding in the ongoing case of United States v. Washington affirmed these rights, leading to the recognition that the state must update its transportation infrastructure to ensure the protection of salmon habitats.

The significance of tribal treaty rights is now increasingly influencing local and state planning and regulatory bodies, particularly in their decisions regarding the construction and operation of transportation facilities.

In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court reinforced the fact that American Indian treaties established before statehood—and never abrogated by Congress—remain in effect. In McGirt v. Oklahoma, the Court ruled that a Native American accused of crimes committed within the boundaries of a reservation established prior to Oklahoma’s statehood could not be tried in state court (591 U.S. ____ (2020)) because, pursuant to a treaty with the Muscogee Nation, the State of Oklahoma remained, for relevant purposes, “Indian country” subject to federal jurisdiction. This decision underscores the necessity for states to reassess the ongoing relevance of treaties enacted before they achieved statehood.

NCHRP LRD 94: Effects of American Indian Treaties on Development and Operation of Transportation Facilities examines how state departments of transportation (DOTs) plan, develop, and operate transportation infrastructure that crosses lands reserved by treaty. Key considerations include:

    Ongoing validity of treaties.
    Impact on modern development.
    Engagement with tribal stakeholders.                                   

This digest will be valuable to transportation attorneys representing state departments of transportation (DOTs) and authorities, as well as their contractors and consultants. It will also benefit policymakers, local, state, and federal personnel, transportation practitioners, decision-makers, and stakeholders involved in ensuring that transportation projects comply with legal and cultural obligations. 
 ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 02 Nov 2021 15:15:03 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1889475</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Legal Problems Arising out of Highway Programs. Topic 24-03. Guidelines for Drafting Liability Neutral Transportation Engineering Documents</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1889493</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this research is to produce a style and drafting guide that may be used as a practical resource for researchers, practitioners, and those who implement safety projects. This guide would address how to avoid concepts and language that can have legal implications by promoting clear, direct, objective, and fact-based expressions. This guide should be developed through research by lawyers who have a background in tort liability involving organizations that use engineering documents to design, construct, and/or maintain facilities, products, or systems that are often the subject of tort claims. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 02 Nov 2021 14:29:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1889493</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Advancing Equity and Justice in Megaregions: A Case Law Analysis on the Challenges in Developing Disproportionality Metrics for Successful Suits</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1881962</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The goal of this project is to develop appropriate workflows for conducting environmental justice (EJ) analyses including community/population definitions, performance measures, and metrics of disproportionality. The research team will apply these workflows to the structured identification and measurement of disparate impacts required during the NEPA/EJ analysis of megaregional planning initiatives. To reach this end, a pragmatic, results-oriented approach to research tasks will be followed throughout the course of the project.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 04 Oct 2021 10:48:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1881962</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Quality Management for 3D Model-Based Project Development and Delivery







</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1854193</link>
      <description><![CDATA[NCHRP Research Report 1153: Digital Model–Based Project Development and Delivery: A Guide for Quality Management presents state-of-the-art information to assist state departments of transportation (DOTs) in their review of three-dimensional (3D) models that are contractually binding and to advance the use of digital project development and delivery. The guide provides suggestions based on extensive review and study of the state of practice and industry trends. The findings will be a valuable resource for state DOTs and other public transportation agencies.
State DOTs have begun changing the medium of construction contract documents from paper or two-dimensional (2D) plans to 3D models that are contractually binding. The driver of this major change is the ability for contractors and inspectors to use 3D models directly to support project activities and communicate the design intent. However, changing the medium of construction contract documents has created challenges for state DOTs, including a lack of robust review and documentation procedures as well as automated quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) management processes for 3D models. The procedures for reviewing 2D plans are well established but do not translate easily to 3D models. There was a need to develop procedures that state DOTs can use for their review of 3D models, including data validation as well as QC and QA, and provide opportunities to automate the review and documentation procedures.
Under NCHRP Project 10-113, “Quality Management for 3D Model-Based Project Development and Delivery,” HDR Engineering, Inc. was asked to provide a guide to assist state DOTs with developing quality management processes for a 3D model–based approach for project development and delivery. The research includes a data dictionary for quality management metadata and a review checklist spreadsheet.
The research team’s documentation of the guide development process and the entire research effort is available on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies .org) by searching for NCHRP Web-Only Document 428: Quality Management for Digital Model–Based Project Development and Delivery.
In addition, the following materials can be found on the website by searching for NCHRP Research Report 1153: Digital Model–Based Project Development and Delivery: A Guide for Quality Management:

Appendix F Addendum: Review Checklist Spreadsheet,

Implementation plan, and

Guide Overview (webinar slides).

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 27 May 2021 19:20:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1854193</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Legal Aspects of Airport Programs. Topic 11-03. Analysis of Laws, Regulations, and Case Laws Regarding Airport Customer Facility Charges</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1528516</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Many airport proprietors impose a customer facility charge (CFC) upon the customers of rental car companies located at the airport. Typically, the revenue collected from these charges is used by the airport proprietor to pay for the capital and operating costs of rental car facilities at the airport, although CFCs may be used for a range of permissible purposes. In some jurisdictions, for example, CFCs may be applied to certain costs of other facilities, such as roadways or utilities, which support a consolidated rental car facility.

Unlike many other airport-related rates and charges, CFCs are subject to relatively little federal regulatory oversight. A small minority of states regulate CFCs through provisions of state law; however, most CFCs are imposed and implemented through a combination of local municipal acts and/or contractual arrangements. Recently, challenges to the imposition and use of CFCs and other airports fees and charges have been mounted in several states by interested parties. There is only a small universe of emerging caselaw surrounding CFCs, specifically, cases regarding similar charges on ground transportation providers (e.g., access or privilege fees for the use of the airport) that can be instructive for jurisdictions imposing CFCs.

This digest examines the legal issues arising under state and federal law from the imposition and use of CFCs. Applicable state and federal laws and regulations are summarized and includes an inventory of state-level authorizing legislation in those jurisdictions that have adopted state-level regulation of CFCs. Judicial decisions regarding the collection and use of CFCs and related issues are also analyzed.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 31 Jul 2018 09:31:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1528516</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Legal Aspects of Airport Programs. Topic 10-01. Update of Compilation of FAA/DOT Airport Legal Determinations</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1472367</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Legal Research Digest 21: Compilation of DOT and FAA Airport Legal Determinations and Opinion Letters Through December 2012 is a compilation of FAA Part 16 decisions, DOT Part 302 decisions, and FAA legal opinion letters as of December 2012. FAA publishes Part 16 and Part 302 decisions online, but indexes them only by party name and docket number. ACRP LRD 21, which can be found online at https://crp.trb.org/acrplrd21/, indexes decisions by subject matter and is an extremely valuable research aid for airport operators, law firms, and consultants. It has been four years since the last compilation and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has since issued significant compliance decisions over the last four years.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to update ACRP LRD 21 update annually for four years.
ACRP Legal Research Digest 21: Compilation of DOT and FAA Airport Legal Determinations and Opinion Letters as of December 31, 2023, contains agency determinations covering administrative cases brought against large and small airports throughout the United States, as well as DOT and FAA opinion letters, memoranda, and related documents. These documents cover legal matters that include reasonableness of contractual terms, leasing practices, airport rules and regulations, airport charges imposed on aeronautical users, including airlines, and the standards for determining airport sponsor compliance with other federal obligations.
Additionally, a supplemental document Web-Only Document 65 DOT and FAA Airport Legal Determination and Opinion Letter Abstracts of 2023 is available. 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jun 2017 15:01:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1472367</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Automating the Reporting and Progress Monitoring Process using Mobile Computers for Highway Construction Projects</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1261691</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Construction is an industry that generates vast amounts of data related to construction, inspection and administration processes. Current practices employed in the construction industry for collecting, processing and filing all the documents associated to a construction job can take a lot of valuable time for the engineers in a project. Currently the university is working on a mobile computing application for automating the collection process of field inspection data using iPads or Android Tablets. The application contains standard forms of the specifications that appear in the Standard Specification of Road and Bridge Construction book. With these forms the application provides a method of uniform inspection that assures the quality of highway projects. At the same time the application will be able to automatically send deficiency reports to the parts affected when a certain item does not comply with the specification. This process will make the inspection much more efficient, reducing the use of paper forms and time consumed in manipulating data, therefore providing an automated optimized application that will allow inspection and reporting in less time. This proposal presents an extension to the application in development by implementing other kinds of reports and actions that will complement the features of the application. The proposed second phase of the automation process will provide the ability to create daily reports, generate reports for the project administrator and automatically relate data from different reports to include this information in the administrator's report in order to save time and provide a higher quality assurance. At the same time, the application will allow for continuous monitoring of project performance, because a daily S curve (cost based) can be prepared based on the inspector's report of work performed by the contractor. By doing so, the inspection team can verify at any time if the project is behind or ahead of schedule, comparing the percent complete at any particular moment with the percent complete calculated from the cost loaded schedule. This could be a very useful tool to discuss the project status with the contractor at the weekly meetings.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 10 Sep 2013 01:00:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1261691</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Electronic National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Collaboration Tool</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234799</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this Task Order is to twofold: (1) Research available electronic process tools to enhance and expedite the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)  National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process (Phase I); and, (2) Develop and pilot, if determined necessary in Phase I, a prototype electronic tool that enhances and expedites interagency collaboration during the preparation and review of environmental documents (Optional Phase II).]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:19:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1234799</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Legal Aspects of Airport Programs</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1233090</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The nation's airports need to have access to a program that can provide authoritatively researched, specific, limited-scope studies of legal issues and problems having national significance and application to their business. A program meeting the need for dealing with legal problems arising from highway programs was inaugurated in 1969 under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program. It has been maintained with continuation funding since that time with strong support and approval from the constituency it serves. Similarly, a transit legal research program was implemented in 1992 under the Transit Cooperative Research Program and has been continually funded since its inception. Such a legal research program would be beneficial to the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP). The objective of this project is to provide legal research on topics of interest to the airport legal community based on periodic solicitations of potential topics. The project would produce an ACRP Legal Research Digest series of reports on legal issues associated with airport-related law. Each document would be intended to provide airport attorneys with authoritative, well-researched, specific information that is limited in scope. The studies would focus on legal issues and problems having national significance to the airport industry. Each year, numerous attorneys nationwide are involved in airport-related work; yet, there is no centralized collection of information on which they can depend. The ACRP Legal Research Digest series will provide airport-related legal research on a wide variety of legal topics.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:50:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1233090</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Rapid Construction - Case Histories</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1227468</link>
      <description><![CDATA[WSDOT has completed a number of projects within the past 5 years that used innovative techniques to shorten the construction time of the project.  This project will document, in the form of case studies, the techniques used on past project to shorten the construction time.  Documentation of known successes will enable all Regions to capitalize on past successes.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:59:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1227468</guid>
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