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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <atom:link href="https://rip.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=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" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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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>Evaluating Method 2 Horizontal Curvature in Freeway Work Zones: Safety, Suitability, and Alternatives</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2608464</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In freeway design, Method 5 is the standard approach for determining horizontal curvature on high-speed highways, while Method 2 is intended for low-speed urban facilities where higher side friction values are acceptable. However, in Utah, Method 2 has been implemented in high-speed freeway work zones through Alternative Technical Concepts
(ATCs), most notably on the I-15 Technology Corridor project. Post-construction crash records revealed truck overturning incidents and other safety concerns, raising questions about the suitability of Method 2 in high-speed environments.

While Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has already developed a five-year statewide database of work zones containing crash data (AASHTOWare Safety) and project details (Masterworks), this database does not distinguish between projects that used Method 2 horizontal curvature versus standard lane-shift tapers (Method 5). Without this distinction, UDOT lacks the ability to directly assess whether Method 2 increases crash severity, particularly for heavy vehicles, in comparison to established design practices. This gap in knowledge is critical given the safety implications for drivers and workers in high-speed freeway work zones, as well as the need to guide ATC approvals on future Design-Build projects.

This research is needed to provide UDOT with a data-driven evaluation of Method 2’s risks, safety impacts, and design suitability in freeway work zones. Findings will clarify whether Method 2 should remain an acceptable option and under what conditions it might be safely applied.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 19:12:31 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2608464</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Freeway Corridor Economic Impact</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2606590</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The aim of this research is to provide a framework to better estimate the impacts of freeway corridor alternative projects by also considering mode, scale, land uses, community engagement practices and environmental impacts.

A planning-level evaluation tool will be developed to objectively estimate the economic impacts of alternatives considered for a freeway redesign. The tool will operationalize findings from the preceding research in terms of the three key elements of economic value: mobility benefits, developable land opportunity, and environmental impacts.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2025 15:21:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2606590</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Investigation of Vulnerable Road User Fatalities and Serious Injuries on Freeways</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2601433</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Although pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users are not “supposed” to be present on freeways and other high-speed limited access roadways, a substantial proportion of all vulnerable road user (VRU) crashes occur in these environments. Due to high speeds, casualty severity is often high, resulting
in many deaths and severe, life-changing injuries. These events heavily burden victims, families, and medical insurance programs funded by employers and taxpayers.

Spot-checks of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Bicyclist and Pedestrian Crash Map and findings from research in other states indicate these casualties involve wide-ranging circumstances. A few examples include individuals attempting to cross a freeway or other high-speed limited-access roadway at grade, drivers walking to find help with a disabled vehicle, on-the-job incidents involving road workers and first responders, and crashes involving unhoused people who camp on the right-of-way.

This action-focused project will conduct a thorough review of previous research on freeway/expressway VRU casualties, develop a typology of non-overlapping categories that can be used to analyze them, compile the North Carolina VRU casualty data for freeways and other highspeed limited access roadways, review crash narratives to verify that they occurred on such a roadway (and not, for example, on the arterial level of a freeway overpass), manually assign each fatality and serious injury to one of the categories in the typology, prepare maps that illustrate their location and nature, and identify both locationally-specific and statewide actions that can be taken by NCDOT and other agencies to reduce the frequency and severity of VRU crashes on high-speed limited access roadways.​]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:57:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2601433</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-5018: Connected Freeway and Signalized Corridor Pilot: C-V2X Technologies Deployment for Enhanced Safety and Efficiency in Indiana</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2590602</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will deliver a field-tested pilot deployment of C-V2X technologies along two critical corridors in Columbus, Indiana, supported by vehicle demonstrations and real-world data collection. By integrating physical and virtual roadside units, developing Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT) based CAV applications such as trucking ecoapproach and departure and extended green functionality, emergency vehicle pre-emption, and validating Rampcast for freeway ramps, the study will generate actionable insights for Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) on deployment strategies, performance metrics, and scalability. A Purdue-led multidisciplinary team will carry out the proposed work in collaboration with INDOT and industry partners. Outcomes will inform statewide infrastructure planning and accelerate Indiana’s readiness for CAV technologies.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2025 15:00:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2590602</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Installed Wrong-Way Driving Countermeasures on Florida Freeways and Arterials</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2563982</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of wrong way driving countermeasures currently mandated by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) on freeways and arterials. The study will assess whether the mandated wrong-way driving (WWD) countermeasures have an impact on the number of WWD incidents and WWD crashes occurring on state highway system roadways. The effectiveness of the countermeasures will be measured by the number and extent of WWD incidents, and WWD crashes reduced due to their installation.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 16 Jun 2025 09:21:07 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2563982</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Missouri Work Zone Speed Study</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2548661</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will assess speeds driven by motorists in Missouri freeway work zones, including not only average speeds but also levels of work zone speed compliance and noncompliance. The research team will perform a literature review and conduct field work to collect and measure work zone speed data. This project will help improve work zones by providing Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) with data to help inform decisions regarding how to focus work zone speed enforcement efforts.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2025 09:40:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2548661</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development and Implementation of Coordinated Adaptive Ramp Metering (CARM) in Southern California Interstates for Congestion Mitigation</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2506242</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The goal of this proposed Coordinated Adaptive Ramp Metering (CARM) implementation project is to mitigate congestion and improve traffic flow along the interstate I-15 corridor in the Southern California region. This advanced traffic management system aims to optimize freeway operations by dynamically adjusting ramp metering rates based on real-time traffic conditions across the entire I-15 corridor. By implementing CARM, the project seeks to increase average speeds, reduce travel times, enhance safety, and improve overall traffic efficiency. The existing ramp metering approach at key on-ramps such as Magnolia Ave, Ontario Ave, El Cerrito Road, and Cajalco Road lacks automatic responsiveness to crashes and lane-blocking events, coordination across multiple ramps, and optimal queue distribution to increase corridor throughput.

To address these issues, a Coordinated Adaptive Ramp Metering (CARM) system is proposed. CARM is an advanced traffic management strategy that dynamically adjusts ramp metering rates based on real-time traffic conditions across an entire freeway corridor. This system aims to optimize freeway operations by (a) Coordinating multiple ramp meters to work together, balancing the flow of vehicles entering the freeway (b) Using centralized adaptive algorithms to analyze data from the entire corridor and adjust metering behavior accordingly (c) Maximizing freeway throughput while minimizing queues on the ramps d) Responding in real-time to traffic incidents and congestion.

The project will implement the following objectives- (1) Develop and implement a CARM system on I-15 southbound between SR-91 and Cajalco Road to reduce PM peak period congestion by automatically adjusting metering rates in response to real-time traffic conditions, including crashes and lane-blocking events. (2) Optimize ramp metering algorithms to distribute queues across multiple on-ramps (Magnolia Ave, Ontario Ave, El Cerrito Road, and Cajalco Road) to increase overall corridor throughput during peak periods.


USDOT Priorities:

The USDOT Strategic Plan for FY 2022-2026 prioritizes strategies that improve system operations to increase travel time reliability, manage travel demand, and improve connectivity. This project directly aligns with those strategies by promoting the adoption of transportation management and operations (TSMO) practices. Also, this project improves travel time reliability on congested corridors. This project is aligned with Objective 1 of MCEEST’s goals - Create a safer, more reliable, and more resilient transportation system that improves equity through increased access to jobs, housing, services, and other opportunities for historically underserved communities. Interstate 15 in the San Bernardino and Riverside counties in California passes through historically disadvantaged communities. The congestion on I-15 is a major reason why these communities have difficulties accessing jobs and services.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 07 Feb 2025 16:07:17 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2506242</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Freeway and Arterial Performance and Safety Analysis with High Resolution Vehicle Trajectory Data</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2431597</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Local traffic agencies have large investments in intelligent transportation system (ITS)
infrastructure including sensors such as cameras, radars, and loop detectors and communication
to gain new insight for better planning, management, and operation of roadways. However, the
ITS infrastructure is generally limited to dense urban areas and requires significant support to
maintain coupled with limited in-house expertise to fully realize the promise of big data.
Further, new high resolution vehicle trajectory data (HRVT) streams have become available to
further complicate analysis and the value proposition of ITS hardware. This project will evaluate
the potential for HRVT to support infrastructure owner operators (IOOs) and practitioners to
more effectively plan, operate, and manage their systems and improve safety outcomes on their
networks. HRVT will be integrated into traditional traffic analyses as well as leading edge deep
learning research. The outcome of this project will be a tool to effectively query, store, process,
and visualize HRVT data for practitioner use.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 17 Sep 2024 17:43:12 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2431597</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis: Prevention of Unauthorized Freeway Exits and Entrances</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2420102</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT's) I-20 Corridor Study includes a major safety goal to mitigate illegal ramp crossings between frontage roads and main lines. Illegal crossings on controlled access roadways occur in several TxDOT districts, in other states and countries. TxDOT leadership and law enforcement have emphasized during TV news broadcasts that illegal crossing have resulted in crashes, caused damage to grassy medians, caused fires if grass is dry, resulted in vehicles becoming stuck in mud or soft soils. Illegal crossings are made by motorists to bypass traffic back-ups due to an accident, roadway construction, peak-hour traffic congestion, or to access a frontage road business that is not near a ramp. The research team will identify and assess methods to deter illegal crossings through a literature review, a national survey of DOTs and local transportation agencies, and a survey of TxDOT districts. District site visits will further help determine the causes of illegal crossings including an assessment of adjacent land use, spacing of ramps, number of illegal crossings, and an evaluation of deterrent efficiency. This information will be used to develop an Outline of a Recommended Plan to implement deterrents.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 23 Aug 2024 12:55:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2420102</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>NCHRP Implementation Support Program. Using Information from CAVs To Enhance Freeway Operational Strategies</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2406712</link>
      <description><![CDATA[NCHRP Research Report 1080: Using Cooperative Automated Transportation Data for Freeway Operational Strategies, explores how the data exchange between transportation management systems (TMSs) and cooperative automated transportation (CAT) networks can optimize freeway operations.

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of how TMSs can harness data from connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) to enhance safety and efficiency. It evaluates key traffic management strategies that benefit from CAV data integration and offers practical guidance for state departments of transportation (DOTs), including assessment methodologies, implementation considerations, and technical documentation featuring algorithms and simulation models. This resource is invaluable for practitioners and researchers seeking to refine traffic management strategies using CAV data.

With the transformative potential of this research, there is a critical opportunity to support the adoption of NCHRP Research Report 1080. Facilitating knowledge transfer, delivering actionable guidance, and empowering state DOTs to incorporate CAV data into freeway management strategies will be key to modernizing transportation systems and improving roadway performance.

The objective of NCHRP Project 20-44(59) is to accelerate the adoption of findings from NCHRP Research Report 1080 by conducting targeted engagement and supporting pilot state DOTs to implement strategies that leverage CAV data to enhance freeway operations.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jul 2024 12:56:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2406712</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Applicability of the 85th Percentile for Setting Speed Limits on Freeways, Expressways, and Rural Highways



</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381738</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The applicability of the 85th percentile speed for determining posted speed limits is a complex and controversial issue of concern to state departments of transportation (DOTs). The 85th percentile is the speed at or below which 85 percent of free-flowing traffic travels. It is sometimes used to provide an indication of the free-flow operating speed on the roadway for determining traffic control device applications. It has been used for decades as the basis for setting speed limits. 

In recent years, calls have been made to eliminate the 85th percentile speed as the basis for setting speed limits, especially in urban areas. Proponents of the 85th percentile speed argue that (1) it is a good measure of the speed at which drivers feel safe and comfortable on a given road; (2) it is a relevant data point that can indicate whether other modifications or speed management strategies might be needed to achieve compliance or some level of a self-enforcing road design; (3) and setting speed limits at or near the 85th percentile speed can reduce speed variance and improve safety. Conversely, critics argue that (1) the 85th percentile speed is not a reliable measure of safe driving; (2) it can be influenced by many factors, such as traffic volume, road conditions, and drivers’ perception of law enforcement activity; and (3) setting speed limits at or near the 85th percentile speed can encourage drivers to travel at higher speeds. Therefore, critics argue that the 85th percentile speed should be removed as a factor and that the Safe System approach should be required instead. 

Recent research and reasoning for moving away from the 85th percentile speed on urban arterials and residential streets do not address speed limits on freeways, expressways, and rural highways. Therefore, research is needed to examine the applicability of the 85th percentile speed for setting speed limits on freeways, expressways, or rural highways. 

The objectives of this project are to (1) examine the applicability of the 85th percentile speed as a factor in setting speed limits on freeways, expressways, and rural highways and (2) prepare a guide for state DOTs and other agencies with the authority to set speed limits on freeways, expressways, and rural highways that includes, at a minimum, implementation considerations, an application framework, and outreach materials for communication with policymakers. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 22 May 2024 11:45:33 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381738</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Safe and efficient automated freeway traffic control</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2292644</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Shockwaves are a naturally emerging phenomena in freeway traffic, but they represent one of the largest safety risks on freeways. Freeway drivers do not expect to encounter abrupt drops in speed or stopped traffic, as a result, shockwaves sharply increase the accident rates, particularly in the context of rear end collisions. For example, US interstate highways in 2021 saw the following rear-end collision numbers: Fatality 985, Injury-Only 71,408, Property-Damage-Only 152,011. Rear end collision severity is directly related to the relative speed between the involved vehicles, shockwaves increase these relative speeds, and thus, they also increase accident severity. Shockwaves also reduce freeway capacity and have a detrimental impact on fuel consumption and emissions because accelerating engines are less efficient than when cruising.  Connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) hold the promise to attenuate and eliminate shockwaves (and thus, also reduce the severity and number of accidents), but only if the system is explicitly designed to do so. The very factors that give rise shockwaves in human driven vehicles (HDV) will also do so in CAV. While CAV offer new ways to manage traffic dynamics, an automated freeway will still be subject to traffic dynamics. For example, even with perfectly driven CAV, trucks and cars behave differently and the ever-changing mix of different vehicle types will give rise to rapidly varying bottleneck capacity. The real challenge is designing the CAV system so that it ensures the safest possible operation, and then within those bounds, the greatest operational efficiency (maximizing capacity, minimizing delays, etc.).  This research will approach CAV traffic control by first establishing the desired macroscopic traffic states along a freeway corridor and will use a rolling horizon to continually update the desired states in response to perturbations in the macroscopic traffic stream. Under this macroscopic framework, the CAV will know what behavior they should take simply by knowing where they are in space relative to the set of desired states. The main objective of the macro to micro control scheme is that the system can efficiently anticipate and respond to disturbances over large distances. It is this macroscopic look-ahead that will allow the system to detect and attenuate shockwaves. Although communications bandwidth is not the focus of this work, the macro to micro control scheme also has the potential to greatly reduce the necessary communication bandwidth to control the freeway traffic.  For this initial project the focus will be on detecting and dissipating large shockwaves after they have formed and begun propagating. The research will include developing the macroscopic framework to anticipate, detect and respond to shockwaves; developing the means to convey the macro to micro control scheme for the CAV to realize the macroscopic traffic states; and finally demonstrating the methodology using microscopic vehicle trajectory data from real shockwaves as both the initial conditions and bounding constraints of how the system can respond. If successful, it is anticipated that future research will explore mitigating shockwaves at the source- accommodating the variable bottleneck capacity and other unstable traffic dynamics.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 20 Nov 2023 19:52:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2292644</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Safety Effectiveness of Inside Shoulder Widths on Freeways in Georgia</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2269991</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
This proposed project's primary goal is to comprehensively evaluate the relationship between inside shoulder widths and safety performance on Georgia freeways.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 17 Oct 2023 12:08:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2269991</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Strategic Response Plan to Wrong-way Driving Events on Freeways</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2071695</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research project aims to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Florida Department of Transportation's (FDOT's) strategic response plan to wrong-way driving (WWD) events on freeways. The study will also attempt to measure the effectiveness of the response plan in having a consistent and well-coordinated response to WWD events. This project will assist in leveraging the existing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) (e.g., Dynamic Message Signs (DMSs) and CCTV cameras) and Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSM&O) strategies (e.g., RRSP) along the freeways to effectively and efficiently respond to WWD events in real-time. The specific objectives include: (1) Identify nationwide best practices in responding to WWD events on freeways; (2) Evaluate the effectiveness of the existing WWD response plan included in the RTMC SOGs; and (3) Evaluate the effectiveness of the existing WWD DMS messaging.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 29 Nov 2022 11:46:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2071695</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>CARMA Integrated Highway Prototype (IHP)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2062774</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this project is to develop Freeway Cooperative ADS (CADS) use case concept of operations, requirements, proof of concept test, and a prototype plan. The CARMA platform and cloud will be used to develop and prototype an Integrated Highway Prototype (IHP) that bundles freeway operational strategies such as speed harmonization, lane change/merge, and platooning. Stakeholders such as CAMP, other OEMs, state and local DOTs, and private industry will be engaged for input and collaboration. The Agile software development process will be followed and monthly software, documentation, and data updates will be uploaded on GITHUB for stakeholder input and project information sharing. Program. FY20 funding will develop a Freeway use case prototype, and FY21 and FY22 funding will conduct a bundled field test with industry partners.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2022 11:56:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2062774</guid>
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