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    <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" />
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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>Safety Performance of Safe System Treatments for Corridors and Intersections that May Impact Capacity</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2712178</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Transportation agencies are increasingly adopting the Safe System Approach (SSA), which emphasizes a holistic approach to eliminating all fatal and serious traffic injuries on road segments and at intersections. Historically, efforts to reduce congestion often led to the addition of through lanes, implementation of short auxiliary lanes at intersections to facilitate right turns and through movements, and other treatments. However, agencies are now exploring lane reductions—commonly referred to as right-of-way reallocation, road diets, or reconfigurations—to improve safety. In some cases, roads previously widened to accommodate peak-hour traffic are being reevaluated through the lens of the SSA.

Implementing these changes requires a comprehensive understanding of the associated safety impacts and the ability to predict crash outcomes resulting from modifications to roadway capacity. Safety outcomes associated with capacity modifications carry substantial weight in routine planning and operational decisions. Current evidence, however, is limited, and context-specific effects, especially for vulnerable road users, are not well quantified. Additional research is therefore needed to quantify how short auxiliary lanes and cross-section changes affect exposure, likelihood, and severity.

The objectives of this research are to (1) quantify the safety impacts of SSA treatments that may affect roadway capacity and (2) develop analysis methodologies, such as crash modification factors (CMFs) and crash prediction models, to evaluate how these treatments affect crash exposure, likelihood, and severity across all road users and crash types, including pedestrian and bicyclist crashes. The research results can enable planners, designers, traffic engineers, and other decision-makers to make evidence-based choices that balance safety with operational and capacity needs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:00:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2712178</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Vision and Roadmap for the Next Generation of the Highway Capacity Manual</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2558383</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) was first published in 1950 to address highway planning, design, and operations. Throughout its 75-year history, the HCM has evolved to meet transportation planning and engineering needs, especially as agencies attempt to incorporate modes beyond motor vehicles. This evolution has resulted in additional methods, increased complexity with analyses, and results that can be difficult to convey. The scope and scale of the current (7th) edition of the HCM seems to be lessening rather than increasing many users’ understanding of the contents, including methods and calculations, and there is growing concern that practitioners are increasingly relying on proprietary software to help with analyses. Often, practitioners must use more than one proprietary tool in tandem, or seek methods developed outside the scope of the HCM to conduct their analyses.  

The dilemma for the HCM user community is that the software or methods underpinned by the HCM can be used without understanding the assumptions or limitations of the methods. Further, practitioners' ability to use the HCM for basic analyses has diminished and they can no longer complete these analyses by hand in certain instances. Training on the HCM in university or on-the-job settings is also increasingly difficult. With planning, design, operations, and traffic impact analyses remaining a critical need for transportation agencies, research is needed to target the content, scope, scale, and format of the HCM to user needs. 

The objective of this research is to collaboratively develop the vision for the next generation of the HCM and prepare a roadmap to implement the vision. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2025 14:08:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2558383</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of U.S. Vehicle Capacity Models for Multilane and Turbo Roundabouts

</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2558402</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Turbo roundabouts are designed to limit improper lane changing behavior within multilane circulatory roads by providing physical lane separation. Turbo roundabouts also feature more radial entries than conventional designs, which may affect vehicle entry paths, speeds, and gap acceptance. Originating in Europe, turbo roundabouts have been gradually adopted internationally. Although many state, local, and tribal transportation agencies are contemplating turbo roundabouts as potential alternatives for new or reconstructed intersections to improve safety and operations, to date only a few have been constructed in the United States.

A key question in implementing turbo roundabouts in the United States is vehicle capacity, as drivers may approach, enter, and navigate these facilities differently from conventional roundabouts. A U.S.-based capacity model for turbo roundabouts does not currently exist, and European models are not directly transferable due to differences in driver behavior, vehicle characteristics, and design practices. In addition, the existing multilane roundabout capacity model in the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), 7th edition, was developed over a decade ago and cannot account for key geometric factors that influence capacity and operations. In addition, changes in design practices and increased driver familiarity with roundabouts may have further affected the model’s accuracy since its development.

Research is needed to support efforts by state departments of transportation (DOTs) to assess operational performance of multilane and turbo roundabouts.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to develop adaptable vehicle capacity models for multilane and turbo roundabouts to accurately estimate performance by considering key geometric factors such as entry and exit angles, inscribed circle diameters, and physical separation.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2025 09:52:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2558402</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Lifecycle Economic and Energy Efficiency Benefits of Managed Lane Corridors in Metro Atlanta</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2508942</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will compare the lifecycle economic cost and energy use of the Northwest Corridor Express Lane facility to the alternative of expanding general-purpose lane capacity along the I-75/I-575 corridors. Lifecycle energy will include energy embedded in materials, construction, on-road vehicle operations, and ongoing maintenance.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 11 Feb 2025 16:13:39 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2508942</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Induced Travel Policy Brief</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2494999</link>
      <description><![CDATA[It is well established that adding roadway capacity generally increases network-wide vehicle miles traveled (VMT), a phenomenon commonly referred to as “induced travel.” Accurately estimating induced VMT is essential to accurately calculating the costs and benefits of roadway expansion projects, and determining how and how much to mitigate the project’s environmental impacts. However, travel demand models have historically failed to fully capture the induced travel effects of roadway expansion projects. The purpose of this project is to help inform USDOT on travel demand modeling practice by summarizing in an accessible policy brief the induced travel effect and the historical challenges of fully
incorporating induced travel into travel demand modeling practice.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 31 Jan 2025 16:36:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2494999</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>An Updated Capacity Model for Mini-Roundabouts</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2452918</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Mini-roundabouts, characterized by their fully traversable central islands, provide a compact and efficient alternative to traditional single-lane roundabouts. They are particularly beneficial in areas with spatial constraints, where larger roundabouts would necessitate unwanted right-of-way impacts. The typical inscribed circle diameter (ICD) of these mini-roundabouts is often under 90 feet, and they are best suited for areas where speeds are limited to 30 mph or lower.

One of the primary advantages of mini-roundabouts is their smaller footprint, making them an effective replacement for stop signs or signal controls at intersections with moderate traffic volumes. Their traversable central island design is pivotal, offering adaptability in mixed traffic scenarios, especially facilitating the movement of larger vehicles.

However, there are aspects that require further scrutiny. In the early 2010s, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) developed capacity models for mini-roundabouts with two different ICDs. These models assumed that such roundabouts would function as a series of independent T-intersections, an assumption that may not always be accurate, especially in the presence of larger vehicles. When comparing the capacities of mini-roundabouts with all-way stop-controlled (AWSC) intersections, it is vital to understand their potential advantages and shortcomings. If mini-roundabouts do not significantly exceed the capacity of AWSC intersections, their unique positioning in traffic management might be challenged, especially when considering the cost-effectiveness of AWSC intersections.

The main objective of this research is to develop new capacity models for mini-roundabouts based on field data collected at 25 mini-roundabouts in North Carolina and other states within the midatantic and southeast regions. Video data will be recorded at all sites from 25-30 ft elevation. The videos will be analyzed using the DataFromSky (DFS) service, which the team successfully utilized in previous NCDOT projects. Vehicle trajectories will be obtained and analyzed to estimate key capacity parameters, including the critical and follow-up headways and the effect of heavy vehicles. The team will utilize a calibrated microsimulation model only to fill out gaps when field data are not available.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 15 Nov 2024 16:06:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2452918</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Practices. Topic 56-05. Traffic Analysis Practices for Non-Motorized Modes



</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2384705</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this synthesis was to document the current state of the traffic analysis practice for non-motorized modes (or multimodal analysis). Research is complete. The final report will published in Fall 2026 as Synthesis Report 671. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2024 20:33:32 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2384705</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>
National Investigation of the Environmental, Safety and Livability Impacts of Travel Lane Width: Evidence from 10 American Cities</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2331768</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project is one of the most comprehensive efforts to date to address a long overdue built environmental and transportation challenge to health: unnecessarily wide travel lanes that are designed to accommodate fast and convenient driving. There has been a constant competition for space in roadways’ right-of-way. In most American cities, the automobile is the winner of this competition, making it a challenge to find space for bike lanes and sidewalks. One of the easiest and most cost-efficient way to make space for cyclists and pedestrian is to narrow travel lanes and parking lanes to an optimal width. The main drawback is safety concerns. Are wider lanes safer? A recent study in seven US Cities by the PI found that narrower lanes do not have a higher number of crashes than their wider counterparts, after controlling for 21 functional and design street characteristics. This study builds on the earlier effort by (1) expanding sample to more than 1,500 street sections with three additional cities and measuring a comprehensive set of 21 micro-scale street design features for these streets; (2) quantifying the impact of narrow travel lane on traffic fatalities, pedestrian safety, and bicycle safety indicators; and (3) measuring the impact of narrow lane width on pedestrian volume and activities. Finally, from the national sample of ten cities, the PIs will select one lane width reduction project for further longitudinal analysis of traffic speed, roadway capacity (traffic volume), roadway safety (crash severity and frequency) and GHG emission impacts before and after the lane width reduction.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 01 Feb 2024 10:04:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2331768</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Recommended Lengths for Arterial Lane Drops - Phase 2</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2286547</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this research project is to enable Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) planners, traffic engineers, and design engineers to make informed decisions about implementing lane drops on arterial streets and freeway on-ramps and better understand the effect that lane drops have on roadway capacity. Data on the number of vehicles using each lane at signalized intersections upstream of lane-drop locations will be collected, analyzed, and compiled into graphs and tables so UDOT can make informed, data-driven decisions about implementing lane drops after intersections and better balance the tradeoffs between project costs and roadway capacity.
This is the second phase of a 2020-2021 research project to evaluate the effects that the distance between a signalized intersection and a lane-drop location can have on lane utilization upstream of the intersection. At the end of the previous phase of this project, it was determined that the 25 arterial sample lane-drop locations were not long enough to determine an effective length of a lane drop. This phase would expand the arterial samples to 41, to include lane drops in 16 additional locations. Further, this phase would include up to 25 freeway ramp locations, whereby the first phase did not evaluate freeway ramps. 
The results will be used to update the existing quick reference chart and table (created during phase 1) that illustrate the expected lane utilization based on the upstream distance to the lane-drop location. Additionally, a new simple-to-use chart and table would be created specifically for freeway ramps based on data from the freeway ramp analysis. The information in both charts and tables would enable UDOT project managers, roadway designers, and traffic engineers to understand the capacity effects of lane drops on arterial streets and freeway ramps, and the tradeoffs related to reducing lane-drop lengths to reduce costs. Having this understanding will enable UDOT to make more effective and informed decisions when considering implementation of lane drops on arterial streets and freeway ramps.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2023 14:48:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2286547</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RES2024-02: Applying Induced Travel Study in Urban Areas in Tennessee</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2233685</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In Tennessee growing traffic congestion is quickly becoming more prominent. The most significant national-level freight corridors cross the state and are predicted to grow significantly in the future. Unprecedented growth worsened traffic conditions in western, central, and eastern Tennessee, especially severely in urban areas. To manage congestion on the freeways and major arterials, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) commissioned the development of Congestion Action Plans for the four largest urban areas (Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville). 
However, it is not clear how much the same induced travel effect holds for the cities in Tennessee as current scholarship on the topic is lacking except a few studies that go back several decades (DeCorla-Souza, 2000; COMSIS, 1996) making this research on evidence-based estimates very timely. A key objective is to estimate the short-run local impacts of lane capacity expansions on vehicle miles travel (VMT), speed (measured in miles-per-hour), and traffic flow (i.e., the number of vehicles per hour that pass a particular location) for evidence-based analysis of induced travel in major metro areas in TN (Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville) utilizing consistent data sources and methods of analysis. using data from the publicly available Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) inventory system.  ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 25 Aug 2023 11:25:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2233685</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Field Evaluation of All-Way Stop Control Intersection Capacity</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2221850</link>
      <description><![CDATA[All-way stop control (AWSC) is an important type of traffic control at intersections. Using this type of control, all intersection approaches are controlled by stop signs. The fact that vehicles on all intersection approaches must stop before entering the intersection is behind the safety benefits associated with this type of traffic control. However, this traffic control may have negative impact on the maximum number of vehicles entering the intersection from all approaches, i.e., intersection capacity. Estimating intersection capacity is very important for the selection of the appropriate traffic control given prevalent or predicted traffic conditions at the intersection. For AWSC intersections, not only the total traffic demand using the intersection is important, but also the demand on each given approach as all approaches have the same right-of-way priority. Therefore, knowing approach capacity is very important in assessing the suitability of this particular traffic control at a specific intersection site. 
This project involves an empirical investigation into the capacity of All-Way Stop-Controlled (AWSC) intersections using a study site in the city of Bozeman, Montana. The data are captured using video records of intersection operations while applying strict protocols in processing the data the individual vehicle level. This level of detail is expected to reveal many important insights into intersection capacity and the important variables that re thought to affect intersection capacity.  
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 27 Jul 2023 16:54:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2221850</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4857:  Statewide Screening of Signalized Intersections for Capacity Improvements</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2209597</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The 13 billion connected vehicle records Indiana ingests each month provide the opportunity to perform network wide analysis that has never been done before, but in its native format (3 second latitude and longitude positions), the connected vehicle records are data rich, information poor (DRIP). The objective of this project is to reduce this data set down to a table of metrics that can be used by INDOT to identify capital improvement projects on both a corridor and a movement by movement basis for signalized intersections on INDOT highways.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 10 Jul 2023 09:14:40 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2209597</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Practices. Topic 55-20. Traffic Capacity Level of Service Adaptations and Usage</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2190458</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this synthesis was to document practices of state DOTs use of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) Level of Service (LOS) framework for traffic capacity and multimodal analyses.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 09 Jun 2023 12:43:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2190458</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Estimating HCM Default Parameters for Louisiana</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2096075</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary objectives of this research are to develop intersection capacity parameters that are specific to Louisiana conditions. More specifically, the research aims to estimate the saturation flow rate for selected signalized intersections and analyze critical headway and follow-up headway at stop-controlled intersections.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2023 10:45:38 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2096075</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>FY 22/23 Florida Local Technical Assistance Programs</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2035746</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The overall goal and associated objectives of the Florida Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center is to deliver a highway training curriculum and technical assistance that will provide local agencies with tools to build their capacity and means to innovatively address their roadway network challenges and be reflective of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA’s) current core areas of Safety, Infrastructure Management, Workforce Development, and Organizational Excellence.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 06 Oct 2022 11:12:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2035746</guid>
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