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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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      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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      <title>Container-on-Barge Market Demand </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2673252</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will assess the market demand and policy levers that could expand container-on-barge (COB) services along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. The study will identify key shippers, high-potential commodities, infrastructure needs, and incentive mechanisms to make COB competitive with trucking and rail. This work directly supports the Missouri Department of Transportation's (MoDOT’s) freight, sustainability, and economic development goals, and aligns with the Missouri State Freight Plan and the U.S. Maritime Administration's (MARAD’s) America’s Marine Highway Program.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:27:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2673252</guid>
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      <title>Evaluation of Employment Options in the Inland Waterways Sector</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2536230</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project performs an analysis of employment opportunities in the inland waterways sector. The analysis includes a comparative analysis of employment factors across the modes of rail trucking and inland waterways, calculates the benefits the nation enjoys as a direct result of employment by the inland waterway industry, and develops an educational toolkit about job opportunities in the inland waterway sector.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Apr 2025 18:35:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2536230</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>A Simulation and Decision-Support Tool for Vulnerability Reduction in Hazardous Material Transportation via the U.S. IWTS</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2499032</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Stakeholders are faced with challenges in tracking and managing freight movement, evaluating human-infrastructure interactions (e.g., navigation, lockage), and suggesting alternative solutions in response to contingencies. On the other hand, vessel operators need to have good situational awareness to quickly and effectively avoid hazards and accidents. Among various types of products, hazard materials constitute a great portion of shipments. Such materials can be found in many forms on the U.S. inland waterway transportation system (IWTS), including petroleum products (e.g., diesel fuel, asphalt), chemicals (e.g., fertilizers, pesticides), and household and consumer products (e.g., paints, adhesives). Indeed, petroleum products make up over 75% of waterborne shipments. Compared to highways, rails and other modes of transportation for hazard materials, the waterways have the heaviest shipments. To minimize economic losses while ensuring safety and security during hazardous material transportation, it is invaluable to develop a computerized tool for sharing information and evaluating the impacts of a sequence of decisions, such as voyage planning and rerouting, on freight movement, costs and risks. With previous support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center (MarTREC), this research team has developed an advanced NetLogo-based simulation tool that enables visualizing, evaluating and maintaining multimodal transportation infrastructure. This research project seeks to advance the simulation- and machine learning-based tool to help involved personnel understand how the IWTS currently performs, assess potential risks, and respond to various accidents and disruptions, especially those involving hazard material shipments. The goal is to provide an open-source software tool and machine learning-based decision-making approaches that assist the relevant stakeholders and operators in tracking hazardous material movement, making timely decisions, and enhancing the safety of the U.S. IWTS and beyond. The research findings to be achieved will be broadly disseminated to researchers and practitioners through research publications and presentations. The team will promote real-world applications of the tool by working with MarTREC partners and collaborators.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 29 Jan 2025 17:11:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2499032</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>RES2025-06: Navigating Possibilities Unlocking Tennessee's Waterways for Interstate Freight Transportation</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2487459</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The problem of underutilized waterways for freight transportation in Tennessee presents a significant opportunity for the state to realize economic, environmental, and infrastructure benefits (see RES 2023-07). By leveraging its inland waterways and investing in transportation infrastructure, Tennessee can enhance its competitiveness, promote sustainable development, and build a more resilient and prosperous future for its residents and businesses. The focus of the study will be to investigate (i) shippers moving cargo, (ii) the specific cargo class(es) transported, (ii) the current navigable routes by which cargo moves, (iv) the estimated total costs of these cargo movements, (v) challenges encountered in moving cargo on the inland waterways, and (vi) how these waterways can be more effectively utilized for handling identified cargo and commodities. The extent of the problem and the potential benefits for Tennessee are significant, multifaceted, and briefly discussed next. Economic Impact: Tennessee's geographical location positions it as a strategic hub for inter/intra-state commerce. By developing its waterways for freight transportation, the state can capitalize on its central location to facilitate the movement of goods between the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, and potentially other  southeastern regions. This can attract businesses seeking efficient transportation routes, expand market access for Tennessee-based industries, as well as connect other industries to Tennessee.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 08 Jan 2025 15:05:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2487459</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Capacity Study</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1440621</link>
      <description><![CDATA[It is in the long-term interest of Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to encourage greater usage of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), particularly if cargoes being transported on the state highway system can be diverted to barge. However, like all transportation infrastructure, the GIWW is at risk of reaching capacity constraints that could arise along entire segments of the waterway or at individual locations subject to significant congestion. To date, there has not been a systematic, operational, data-driven approach by TxDOT to look at vessel movements along the entire Texas GIWW to determine if and where capacity problems might exist. The Research Team will employ an existing database of historic vessel activity for locations along the GIWW to provide an overview of vessel movements, which will be supplemented with interviews with key stakeholders. The research team will synthesize background research and summarize existing data on vessel effects, as they relate to safety and navigation, and summarize current and future vessel activity along the GIWW, its tributary channels, and intersecting ship channels. Finally, the research team will outline a set of criteria for tracking conditions along the GIWW that identify specific triggers or milestones that would suggest improvements to the GlWW’s future Operations or infrastructure.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 21 Dec 2016 16:17:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1440621</guid>
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      <title>Inland Waterway Shipment Management System</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1357366</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The inland waterway network is perfectly positioned to increase its prominence in the nation's supply chain system.  Increasing fuel costs, environmental concerns, and changes in the freight distribution network due to the widening of the Panama Canal are pressing shippers to find better ways to move their product from manufacturer to market.  Inland waterways offer several key advantages when compared to traditional modes of transport.  Specifically, the cost per ton of moving freight via inland waterways is significantly lower, and waterway freight movement is more environmentally friendly than other transport options. To capitalize on these opportunities, it is essential that the inland waterway industry move toward increased supply chain management efficiency.  Currently, some data is shared among interested parties with regard to inland waterway freight movements.  However, this data is often not sent in real-time and is seldom processed in a timely manner.  The coordinated use of real-time tracking, electronic manifests, and electronic route plans will allow stakeholders of inland waterways to better utilize the network via the Inland Waterway Shipment Management System (IWSMS).  Furthermore, the creation of the IWSMS will help to greatly increase the efficiency of inland waterways and improve the competitiveness of the United States in the global economy.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2015 01:01:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1357366</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Inland Waterway Operational Analysis Model</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1357365</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Currently, there is an opportunity to expand the business platform provided by the inland waterway infrastructure of the United States, especially in the eastern part of the country. Several factors have aligned to allow for this opportunity, including: (1) Anticipated completion of the Panama Canal expansion to accommodate larger ships; (2) Volatility and increases in the price of crude oil; (3) Environmental advantages of waterway shipments; (4) Increased government investment in inland waterways; (5) A need for meeting current capacity requirements for freight shipments; and (6) A need for enhancement and expansion of the nation's export infrastructure In order to capitalize on the opportunities that are currently within reach for the inland waterway system, it is critical to understand the operational characteristics of the river system and the many variables that affect the usage of the system. The purpose of this project is to develop a "real world" model for analyzing freight movements along inland waterways.  In order to gain a better understanding of the inland waterway system, it is first critical to understand the operational capacity of the system given the changing conditions of infrastructure, port operation characteristics, barge/tow capabilities, and the river characteristics itself.  Once the basic operational characteristics of the river are understood it is possible to further examine what potential changes can be made to increase usage of the system.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2015 01:01:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1357365</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Economic Evaluation of Arkansas Inland Waterways and Potential Disruption Impacts</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1339687</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Arkansas is one of twenty-four states with an inland waterway transportation system. Over one thousand miles of Arkansas navigable waterways have the potential to attract industries by offering low-cost transportation in a strategic location with links to domestic markets including Chicago, Houston, and Pittsburgh and coastal ports in the Gulf of Mexico. A decade ago, prior research indicated that Arkansas ports directly and indirectly contributed to the economic growth of this state including economic value, earnings, and employment. There is a need for current information on the economic impacts of Arkansas' inland waterway transportation system and what impact disruptions to the this system may have. This information may spur investment in port development, which can in turn increase Arkansas' competitive advantage over neighboring states while continuing to offer social and environmental transportation benefits.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2015 01:29:40 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1339687</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Inland Waterways Education and Workforce Development Study</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1290340</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project is designed to respond to the need for a comprehensive understanding of the education and training capacities of the industry, and that relationship with current and anticipated workforce demands across the United States. This includes a survey and analysis of the use and future role of simulators and simulation more generally as an education and training tool. Investigators will conduct a survey and summary of existing institutions, interview and data analysis related to current and future workforce demands in the industry, and a survey and summary of simulator usage across the entire system.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 29 Jan 2014 01:00:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1290340</guid>
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