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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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    <item>
      <title>FY 25/26 Florida Local Technical Assistance Program</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2673041</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 (FHWA)’s current core areas of Safety, Infrastructure Management, Workforce Development, and Organizational excellence.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 13:15:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2673041</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>FY 23/24 Florida Local Technical Assistance Program</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2347373</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 (FHWA)’s current core areas of Safety, Infrastructure Management, Workforce Development, and Organizational Excellence.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 03 Jun 2024 14:54:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2347373</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Iowa Law Manual for Local Public Agency Road Departments</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2353417</link>
      <description><![CDATA[County road department managers are challenged with knowing what Iowa laws apply to their daily jobs.  Drainage, construction and maintenance liability, low water crossings liability, Tort law, and rural subdivisions to just name a few.  Knowing where to find the actual code sections that apply and maybe more importantly the applicable case law is very difficult for local managers.  Several IHRB projects were completed around 1980 to address some of these issues.  Many laws have changed and new cases have gone thru the courts since 1980 that effect county road departments.  The goal of this project would be to create a comprehensive updated resource document for local road department managers to know which Iowa law sections and case law that apply to county road departments.  This project is just compiling existing law and court decisions, not issuing legal opinions on issues. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 10:43:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2353417</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Impact of Climate Change on Road Maintenance Budgets and Practices</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2260028</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Recent studies showed an increasing pattern in the frequency and intensity of flooding events throughout the United States because of climate change. The pavement network can experience considerable damage during flood and post-flood recovery periods. This project aims to develop an analysis framework and toolkit for quantifying the effects of flooding on the US flexible pavement network through mechanistic-empirical (ME) pavement analysis procedure, assess its resiliency, and evaluate potential corrective actions. The core engine of this tool will be the Unified Pavement Distress Analysis and Prediction System (UPDAPS) developed by FHWA and recently upgraded to implement the most recent ME models, coupled with the national level database of the pavement sections, namely Highway Pavement Management System (HPMS). Materials’ inputs are key to ME analysis. For this reason, a laboratory investigation will be performed to evaluate the behavior of materials that typically compose a flexible pavement structure. Laboratory data will be used to revise the current ME distress models. Furthermore, historical flooding data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and forecasted flooding events will be simulated in the tool to evaluate the resiliency of the US pavement network to this climatic stress and investigate the effectiveness of selected corrective actions (e.g., increase pavement thicknesses, stabilization of unbound layers, subsurface drainage systems). The outcome of this project is expected to provide fundamental insights on the flooding effects on flexible pavement performances and support road agencies correctly allocating their financial resources.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Oct 2023 13:02:36 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2260028</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Enhancing Behavioral Traffic Safety Efforts to Engage Underserved Communities</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2205312</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Traffic crash fatalities disproportionately affect underserved communities, in particular people of color. This long-standing and systemic problem reinforces the need to implement highway safety programs more equitably, with an increased focus on underserved communities.

State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) and other safety organizations have undertaken a variety of efforts to more effectively engage underserved communities, but these state and local efforts are fragmented and not documented. SHSOs, their subrecipients, and other safety organizations would benefit from information regarding past and ongoing efforts that effectively engage underserved communities to address critical safety issues. Identifying lessons learned, recommendations to effectively engage with underserved communities, communication methods, and metrics to evaluate outcomes would help bolster engagement and outreach efforts with underserved communities.

For the purpose of this project, underserved communities are defined as areas of persistent poverty and historically disadvantaged communities.  

The objective of this research was to document efforts undertaken by SHSOs and other highway safety organizations to achieve effective engagement with underserved communities, including people of color, and to develop a noteworthy practices guide.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 04 Jul 2023 13:04:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2205312</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluating MDOT SHA's Facility Maintenance Technician's (FMT) Training Program</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2118348</link>
      <description><![CDATA[There has been an increase turnover within Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) FMT workforce. The agency wants to ensure that their workforce has the best training available and that it is in the best position to make use of knowledge management. There is the  need to evaluate job satisfaction and the value of current training programs, to ensure that FMT's are receiving up-to-date formalized training.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2023 12:27:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2118348</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Administration of Highway and Transportation Agencies. Support for Development of AASHTO's 2021-2026 Strategic Plan</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1707191</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objectives of this project were to (a) provide analytical support for development of an updated strategic plan for AASHTO and (b) facilitate the work of AASHTO staff and membership in that development.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2020 22:07:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1707191</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Artificial Intelligence Opportunities for State and Local DOTs – A Research Roadmap</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1707194</link>
      <description><![CDATA[State and local departments of transportation (DOTs) are being asked to solve ever more complex transportation problems and issues. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being proposed and implemented to help address a number of these issues, such as improving safety, alleviating traffic congestion, assisting in real-time systems management, accommodating connected/automated vehicles, preserving the infrastructure, improving organizational efficiency, and customer service, among others. According to Gartner Information Technology Glossary (2021), AI applies advanced analysis and logic-based techniques, including machine learning, to interpret events, support and automate decisions, and take actions. At the same time, large amounts of both structured and unstructured data from various sources have become available for transportation applications. A Transport Research International Documentation (TRID) literature search identified almost 100 papers on AI applications in transportation published in the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Transportation Research Record (TRR) in the last 5 years alone. However, almost all of these papers deal with very specific applications of AI. With the exception of the Transportation Research Circular E-C113: “Artificial Intelligence in Transportation” (2007) and Transportation Research Circular E-C168: “Artificial Intelligence Applications to Critical Transportation Issues” (2012), there is no strategic guidance that state and local DOTs can use to develop guidance, policies, and standards, and ensure a knowledgeable workforce that will enable them to effectively understand, develop, and apply AI solutions to improve their operations and to solve transportation problems. There is also a need to document and share current information on agency experiences with AI, including promising applications. The final report for the project is available as NCHRP Web-Only Document 403: Artificial Intelligence Opportunities for State and Local DOTs: A Research Roadmap, and details possible steps for state and local DOTs to adopt AI in their pipelines.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2020 21:52:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1707194</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>A Guide for Management of Out-of-Service Facilities</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1707213</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Aging utility infrastructure, advancement of new technologies, and the growth of populated areas in the United States contribute to the difficulty in maintaining utility infrastructure while managing an increasing demand for products and services. Utility companies strive to strike a balance between maintaining existing facilities and expanding new utilities. Removing abandoned, retired, or decommissioned utility facilities that no longer meet the needs of their customers can be costly.

Since increasing numbers of utility facilities occupy public rights-of-way (ROW), the impacts of out-of-service (OOS) facilities can be more significant because OOS facilities are typically undocumented on utility company mapping, are unmarked by 811 utility locators, and may not be identified until the contractor actually exposes the facility. These factors can cause delays in the work schedule to identify the facility type, owner, and status (active or inactive); acknowledge the OOS during construction; and analyze potential consequences.

Previous research on OOS facilities tends to discuss problems without providing viable solutions to address them. Research is needed to define effective policies and practices for state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other transportation agencies to use when encountering OOS facilities.  

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research was to develop a guide to assist state DOTs and other agencies with the management of OOS facilities. At a minimum, the research team conducted research to: 1) Identify means to improve the efficiency of transportation construction projects by locating OOS utilities and addressing their presence to avoid negative impacts during construction; 2) Develop a guide defining best practices to locate, track, and manage OOS facilities. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2020 09:35:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1707213</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>NCHRP Implementation Support Program. Facilitating Balanced Mix Design Implementation</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1695723</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this project was to assist state highway administrators (SHAs) and contractors in the early stages of balanced mix design (BMD) implementation by providing up-to-date information on using simple but robust mixture performance tests as part of mix design and quality assurance.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2020 17:03:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1695723</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4105: Outsourcing of Laboratory Testing and Inspection Activities at State Highway Agencies: Synthesis of Current Practices</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1458018</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This synthesis study will conduct a review of current inspection and testing practices used by State Highway Agencies in the United States and internationally to determine where INDOT should place its resources within testing and inspection to get the best value.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 27 Feb 2017 14:18:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1458018</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Support of the Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (TCCC)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1351316</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Rebuilding and maintaining the Nation's highways requires agencies and industry to have a trained and qualified workforce from agencies and industry.  With the loss of experience in the workforce, training is an industry priority.  Agencies and the highway industry across the country face this serious shortage of trained and experienced personnel because of attrition and an aging workforce.  The challenge must be met to preserve the system investments and carry out capital improvements for future growth. Since 2000, the Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (TCCC), a partnership between the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), State and local departments of transportation (DOTs), and private industry, has diligently worked to support the training of transportation industry's technical personnel. The TCCC's mission is to: (1) Provide leadership at the national level. (2)  Develop and maintain national curricula for the various transportation disciplines. (3) Identify training and certification requirements. (4) Coordinate/facilitate training efforts. To achieve its mission, the TCCC embraces the following objectives: (a) Optimize resources through concentrated efforts in the development of core training and qualification mediums. (b)  Improve the skills and abilities of the transportation technical personnel. (c)  Promote the sharing of technical training resources among government and private transportation industry organizations. (d) Promote uniformity in training content and qualification requirements to facilitate reciprocity between States, local organizations, and regions. (e) Optimize the usage of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards in training development.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2015 01:03:17 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1351316</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Investigation of Highway Asset Inventory and Data Collection Methods</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1333173</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objectives of this project are to: (1) Develop experimental designs for the vendor testing and ground truth testing. (2) Perform ground truth testing (3) Analyze the ground truth test results and the vendors; test results from the vendor testing using statistical methods (4) Develop recommendations for the method of collection of the critical asset data elements.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2014 01:00:32 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1333173</guid>
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