<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="https://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
  <channel>
    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
    <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
    <atom:link href="https://rip.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=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" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
    <description></description>
    <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>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>Update to ACRP Report 49: Collaborative Airport Capital Planning Handbook



</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2673006</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Since the 2011 publication of ACRP Report 49: Collaborative Airport Capital Planning Handbook, the airport industry experienced numerous changes. Airport capital planning, programs, and projects are dynamic and involve many elements, including phasing, financing, planning, design, and construction.  Since the 2011 publication of ACRP Report 49, capital planning modernizations have addressed the unpredictability of inflation; supply chain linkages; diversified financing challenges; appropriate delivery methods; new regulatory requirements; advanced technology changes; growing capital demands; and the evolving environmental, social, and governance (ESG) implications. 

Additional challenges to airport capital planning include varying perspectives and competing agendas across internal airport departments involved in the airport planning process (e.g., planning, engineering, and finance) and managing competing agendas of other stakeholders (e.g., consultants, airlines, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)). 

The continual changes to technology since 2011 have inundated the industry with software solutions to enhance airport capital planning management whereby information can be tracked more efficiently. Potential implications of artificial intelligence (AI) may improve the capital planning processes. These technological advancements may have a defined process to best capture and communicate information used to administer the capital planning programs at airports, an important aspect of successfully maintaining the capital plan. 

Additional research is needed within airport capital planning.

The objective of this research is to update ACRP Report 49, outlining and describing a modernized collaborative capital improvement planning (CIP) process and implementation, and includes practices for the industry (e.g., tools and methodologies). 

This updated handbook will be developed for individuals at an airport who have a responsibility in the development, financing, management, or oversight of the airport CIP, or who have information required to maintain and ensure the CIP is current and up to date.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 19:03:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2673006</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Handbook for Pavement Design, Construction, and Management</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2555869</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The design, construction, and management of highway pavements is a complex task that involves the consideration of many topics.  Among these topics are structural design and analysis, drainage provisions, traffic load spectra, material utilization/conservation, surface characteristics, construction practices, pavement evaluation, pavement type selection, life-cycle cost analysis, and preservation.  Some of these topics have been addressed in American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) documents (e.g., Pavement Management Guide; Guide for Pavement Friction; and Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide, Interim Edition: A Manual of Practice) and a great deal of information on the other topics is available in the literature.  However, this information has not yet been synthesized or assembled in a format that will facilitate accessibility and use by highway agency professionals.  Research is needed to identify current practices; review relevant information; and develop a handbook that discusses the topics pertaining to the design, construction, and management of pavements and incorporates relevant AASHTO documents.  Preparing such a handbook in an interactive-electronic, easy-to-edit format with a printer-friendly option will further facilitate its use and update.  Such a handbook will provide highway agency professionals with ready-to-use information to help them effectively perform the task of pavement design, construction, and management.

 OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to develop a handbook that addresses design, construction, and management aspects of pavements.  The Handbook shall be prepared in an interactive-electronic, easily editable format with a printer-friendly option, suitable for consideration and adoption by AASHTO.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 May 2025 14:27:19 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2555869</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Update ACRP Report 84: Guidebook for Preparing Airport Emissions Inventories for State Implementation Plans</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2413894</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regularly updates its National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for criteria pollutants, classifying areas that do not meet these standards as nonattainment areas. Such designations require states to develop State Implementation Plans (SIPs) that estimate future emissions and outline necessary control measures. The Clean Air Act (CAA) mandates that federally approved projects demonstrate conformity with the applicable SIP, known as General Conformity. Projects exceeding the minimums thresholds must undergo a General Conformity Determination, highlighting the need for accurate emissions inventories in SIPs.

Since the release of the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 84: Guidebook for Preparing Airport Emissions Inventories for State Implementation Plans (2013), the EPA has lowered the NAAQS for ozone and PM2.5. This has resulted in an increased number of nonattainment areas, subjecting airport improvement projects to greater scrutiny. As airport operations are projected to grow, it is crucial that SIPs accurately account for the resulting emissions, particularly for projects like new runways and terminals.

Research is needed to update ACRP Report 84: Guidebook for Preparing Airport Emissions Inventories for State Implementation Plans and for airport operators,  inside and outside attainment areas, who are more frequently conducting inventories for reasons beyond SIP, such as voluntary commitments, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting, and state and local initiatives.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to develop a guide for US airports on how to develop emissions inventories for purposes beyond federal actions, while building on and updating ACRP Report 84: Guidebook for Preparing Airport Emissions Inventories for State Implementation Plans.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 05 Aug 2024 17:57:57 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2413894</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Handbook for Implementing Traffic Safety Programs in the Workplace</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2394422</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Traffic crashes are a leading cause of workplace injuries and deaths. Total injury costs in 2021 were estimated at $498.3 billion. 

Feelings of safety and security are influenced by workplace culture. Similar to programs through which employees receive information on how to lower blood pressure as a risk factor for heart disease, the workplace can be an effective conduit to share traffic safety information with employees, with the goal of reducing traffic crashes, deaths, and injuries. 

State highway safety offices (SHSOs) have an opportunity to work with employers to help achieve statewide traffic safety goals. However, a gap exists in information regarding effective traffic safety programs delivered in a range of workplaces. Research is needed to fill this gap. 

The objective of this project is to develop a handbook for practitioners to implement scalable traffic safety education programs in a range of workplaces (e.g., both where driving is and is not a primary employee task, both public-sector and private-sector employers, various types of vehicle fleets, and a range of employee staff sizes). ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Jun 2024 15:23:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2394422</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Digital Delivery: Roadmap for Implementing Building Information Model (BIM) for Infrastructure at GDOT</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2342181</link>
      <description><![CDATA[
The primary objective of this research is a “roadmap” to help strategically guide GDOT to “BIM maturity” (agency-wide digital delivery implementation). This roadmap would address the technology, process, and people to implement such a change including ultimate goals, intermediate objectives, and corresponding timelines. The benefit of this research is to formalize GDOT’s support of this initiative and provide a vision to guide the supporting, ongoing efforts.   ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 21 Feb 2024 09:42:39 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2342181</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Using Market Segmentation to Increase Transit Ridership: An Updated Handbook



</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2307259</link>
      <description><![CDATA[To foster long-lasting customer satisfaction and loyalty, transit agencies must understand and make decisions in accordance with customer needs and preferences. Since it can be infeasible for agencies to tailor actions at the scale of the individual, an alternative strategy is to conduct a market segmentation analysis on one or more data sources to identify sufficiently similar groups of transit riders to consider during a decision-making process.
Challenges arise in selecting the variables to consider in a segmentation analysis and the method to use. One potential approach is to use predetermined (a priori) segments, identify characteristics at the outset that might represent important differences among transit customers, and create segments based on these (for example, commuters versus noncommuters or suburban versus central-city riders). An alternative is to use market-defined (post hoc) methods, such as statistical clustering and classification methods, to identify groupings that may not be apparent from surface-level examination.
TCRP Report 36: A Handbook: Using Market Segmentation to Increase Transit Ridership, published in 1998, is the quintessential TCRP report on this topic. The purpose of this report was to introduce market segmentation, including several case studies on how to appropriately plan for and research the development of a suitable segmentation scheme and then implement findings into actionable strategies that fulfill the transit agency's goals of increasing ridership, bringing in new customers, and boosting the satisfaction levels of different groups of users. In the 25 years since the publication of the 1998 handbook, scholars in the business, social, and mathematical sciences have published new research relevant to this topic. Moreover, passive data collection and big data sources have become more widely implemented and available for profiling transit customers and that has challenged conventional thinking about typical rider segments. A targeted compendium of approaches to collecting data, extracting and describing segments, and tailoring product and service decisions to the needs and preferences of transit market segments would allow for the dissemination of information about success stories, potential pitfalls surrounding forward-thinking market segmentation practices, and how agencies might benefit from adopting certain practices under various scenarios.
OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this research is to help public transportation agencies effectively use market segmentation strategies to attract and keep transit riders. The results of this research project should be easily used by public transportation professionals, including marketing professionals, transit managers, planners, and others interested in implementing market segmentation strategies to attract and keep transit riders. 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 13 Dec 2023 13:22:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2307259</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of a Pavement Repair Guide and Training Tools
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2296800</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Currently ODOT's pavement repair strategies can vary widely based on the knowledge of the person directing the work. Engineers, inspectors and maintenance staff determine repair needs based on visual inspection and then repair types are determined by their experience. This project would develop both a printed and digital pocket guides that could be utilized on PCs or mobile devices allowing the user to find examples of the distresses they are seeing, provide the distress classification, proper repair type, and or any investigation that should be performed. This tool could be utilized by design staff scoping projects, construction staff marking repairs, and maintenance staff planning repairs. Additionally, this project would develop training materials that can be utilized for in-person or online training courses to provide the foundation for staff utilizing the pocket guide. Ultimately, with better training and identification tools, staff should be equipped to make better decisions. This should result in less waste by eliminating improper scoping of repairs, unnecessary repairs in construction, and eliminating other ineffective repairs. The goal of this research is to improve pavement repairs through the develop of technology transfer aids. Project objectives include the develop classroom training materials, for use by ODOT instructors, to provide training and professional development on pavement distress identification and proper repair techniques, the development "pocket guides" for in-field use by ODOT staff to assist in the identification of pavement distresses and proper repair techniques and development recommendations for electronic aids of the pocket guide for in-field use by ODOT staff on Internal Operating System (IOS) and Android mobile devices.   
                         ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 28 Nov 2023 15:17:56 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2296800</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Guide for In-Terminal Airport Concession Programs</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2226016</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Strategies and models for in-terminal airport concessions continue to evolve. Airports have to demonstrate resiliency and use innovative thinking to provide flexibility to concessionaires in a new environment. Escalating capital, labor, and operating costs have strained the existing business model of in-terminal concessions, while e-commerce, digitalization, and changing demand patterns have challenged traditional ways of understanding airport in-terminal concessions.

Airports are looking for opportunities and approaches to become more agile and ensure their concessions programs provide a best-in-class experience for passengers while optimizing revenue to help meet rising airport operating costs and ongoing debt and enhance airport financial self-sufficiency.

Building a concessions program requires airports to have the data and tools necessary to determine the best concessions models and strategies. The goals of a concessions program include optimizing concessions space, ensuring a balanced concessions mix, reducing barriers of entry, and identifying appropriate contracting and management practices.

Research is needed to develop a guide to help airport operators develop and manage their in-terminal concession programs.

The objective of this research is to create a guide to help airport operators develop and manage their in-terminal concession programs. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Aug 2023 09:45:57 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2226016</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of Accelerated Bridge Construction Handbook (ABC Handbook)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2221090</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The proposed research will take advantage of a tremendous number of activities that the 
Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC) has had over years in ABC area and will provide the profession with a handbook that is perhaps the most comprehensive document for ABC. This project will result in the most comprehensive document in the U.S. and devoted to ABC, developing, collecting and referencing current and existing ABC knowledge and providing bridge professionals with one document that they can start with to get an answer to their questions. Besides the PI and Co-PIs, several practicing bridge engineers will also be involved in development of chapters. Contributors outside of Florida International University (FIU) will receive honorarium for their contribution. The exact list of outside contributors will be determined at a later date, in consultation with project advisory panel.

There are several state-of-the-art publications in the area of Accelerated Bridge Construction for different topics and ABC area in addition to the LRFD Guide Specification for Accelerated Bridge Construction. The proposed Handbook will refer to other documents and will pay great attention to the existing resources developed by different AASHTO committee to use the same terms and terminologies. The handbook will be the most comprehensive ABC source published by the end of the project.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 28 Jul 2023 08:51:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2221090</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Guide for Applying Quantitative Highway Safety Analysis Methods</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2219018</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Highway Safety Manual (HSM) is a guidance document for incorporating quantitative safety analysis in highway planning and development processes. Many procedures contained in the HSM are complex and challenging for the average practitioner to apply. Given the complexities of the HSM, some practitioners may not use the manual to its full potential. Currently, a new edition of the HSM is in development (HSM-2); this edition will have new and expanded analytical tools. A vigorous and in-depth guide is needed to enhance practitioners’ abilities to use HSM procedures to integrate roadway safety across transportation agency program areas.

The objective of this project is to develop a guide focused on the use and application of quantitative highway safety analysis methods in the HSM-2 for informing decisions throughout the project life cycle, including but not limited to programming, planning, preliminary engineering, final design, construction, maintenance, asset management, assessment of transportation impacts from development, and traffic operations.

The guide will assist practitioners from diverse professional backgrounds and levels of expertise to navigate and properly apply tools in the HSM-2. As a companion document, the guide should use references and not replicate content from the HSM-2.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Jul 2023 08:20:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2219018</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Emerging Land Mobile Radio Communications Guide</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2197876</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Transportation agencies and public safety organizations frequently lack the subject-matter expertise to select appropriate technology, including communications systems. State, local, tribal, and territorial departments of transportation (DOTs) have invested heavily in land mobile radio (LMR) communications systems to support their field staff during daily activities and incident response or emergencies, and LMR communication continues to be essential to public safety practitioners, including for infrastructure protection, coordination, operations, and emergency response.

NCHRP Project 03-129, "Essential Communications: A Guide to Land Mobile Radio," produced a 483-page guide. Research is complete, but the guide needs to be revised to be suitable for AASHTO consideration.

The objective of this research is to revise the NCHRP Project 03-129 guide and to prepare the final guide for publication under the proposed title Emerging Land Mobile Radio Communications Guide.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 19 Jun 2023 16:37:39 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2197876</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>NCHRP Implementation Support Program.  Implementing a Guide for Urban and Suburban Roadway Cross-Section Reallocation</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2166264</link>
      <description><![CDATA[NCHRP Research Report 1036: Roadway Cross-Section Reallocation: A Guide describes a decision-making framework for identifying, comparing, evaluating, and justifying context-based cross-sectional reallocations of existing urban and suburban roadway space for multimodal safety, access, and mobility. This framework integrates transparency into the decision-making process, helping practitioners compare tradeoffs and facilitate productive community conversations regarding who gets to use roadway space and how they can use it. NCHRP Research Report 1036 is supplemented by two decision-making spreadsheet tools, one on reconstruction and another on repaving, to help users implement the guidelines developed through the research.

The audience for these materials includes transportation professionals involved in transportation decisions for roadway cross-section reallocation, such as transportation professionals involved in state project development, external advocates, transportation planners, designers, transit agencies, and other agency partners. NCHRP Research Report 1036 decision-making framework and tools are intended to be used during the scoping phase and in support of internal and public communications. These products can help streamline the documentation of design exceptions (e.g., documenting why a narrower lane may be used), explain the tradeoffs when insufficient space is available, and bolster design guidance. 

Transportation professionals need support in implementing the NCHRP Research Report 1036 decision-making framework and tools.

The objective of this research is to enhance the usability of the NCHRP Research Report 1036 decision-making framework and tools by providing hands-on practice.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 May 2023 18:02:55 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2166264</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>System Engineering Guidebook Update</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2100901</link>
      <description><![CDATA[For this study, activities will include the revision of the tools, structure and content of the Systems Engineering Guidebook (SEGB) to reflect the latest information about systems engineering; it will also include recent examples of its application by other agencies, and host the Guidebook on a USDOT HQ  program website.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2023 11:17:39 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2100901</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Sustainable and Equitable Innovative Funding Strategies for Enhancing Broadband Initiative in Underserved and Disadvantaged Communities</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2008005</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The overarching objective of this project is to create an economically sustainable and socially equitable business model to utilize innovative funding strategies for enhancing broadband access in rural areas, and underserved and disadvantaged communities. This research will apply a mixed-method research methodology, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques to identify and evaluate innovative funding strategies in the practical context of broadband connectivity in underserved and disadvantaged communities. The data in this study will be collected from three primary sources: (1) a survey, (2) semi-structured individual interviews, and (3) a focus group interview. This research aims to develop an interactive map-based GIS application in a relevant environment as per TRL 6. A guidebook of best practices will be developed to assist transportation agencies, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and local governments in deploying innovative funding strategies to enhance equality for broadband access and reduce the unproportionate allocation of cost to underserved and disadvantaged communities. The guide will include model contracts for establishing a public–private partnership (P3) agreement between a private developer and a government entity to deliver broadband projects. The P3 model contract will include appropriate risk mitigation and allocation measures that are proven to be effective to (1) broaden the participation of private-sector developers, (2) enhance competition in the broadband market, especially in rural areas, and underserved and disadvantaged communities, and (3) ensure that the benefits and costs of broadband development projects do not disproportionally impact the underserved and disadvantaged communities. This research will make scholarly contributions to the academic domain of infrastructure project finance through (1) the identification and characterization of innovative funding strategies for broadband initiatives, and (2) the creation of a new class of P3 models for balanced risk allocation and mitigation for broadband project delivery in rural areas, and underserved and disadvantaged communities.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 16 Aug 2022 18:19:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2008005</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Handbook for Addressing Racial Disparities in the Project Delivery Process</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1915994</link>
      <description><![CDATA[No abstract provided.
 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Feb 2022 11:00:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1915994</guid>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>