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    <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>Improving Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) for Rural Application</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2709239</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is a requirement for U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) discretionary grant programs and plays a significant role in project evaluation and funding decisions. Rural and small urban communities often face challenges in preparing competitive BCAs due to limited technical capacity, data availability, and methodologies that may not fully capture the benefits of rural transportation investments.

Rural transportation projects can provide benefits related to economic connectivity, freight movement, access to essential services, and system resiliency, which may not be fully reflected in conventional BCA approaches. In addition, smaller communities and regional organizations may lack the staff expertise, tools, or resources needed to complete BCA requirements for funding applications.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to develop a guide to help state departments of transportation (DOTs) improve BCA methods and practices for rural and small metropolitan transportation projects. The research will identify methodological and data gaps in current BCA approaches, evaluate barriers faced by smaller communities in completing BCAs, and develop tools to support effective and competitive project evaluation processes.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:51:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2709239</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Reliability-Aware Accessibility Measurement and Planning for Rural Transportation Systems</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2703797</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Reliable access to essential destinations is a persistent challenge in rural transportation systems, where long travel distances, limited infrastructure, and exposure to environmental disruptions can significantly affect mobility. Transportation accessibility is widely used in planning to evaluate how well transportation networks connect people to services and opportunities, yet most accessibility measures assume deterministic travel conditions and do not account for travel-time variability, weather disruptions, or infrastructure reliability. As a result, existing accessibility metrics may overestimate the practical ability of rural residents to reach essential destinations and provide limited guidance for transportation planning under uncertain conditions.
This project develops a reliability-aware accessibility measurement and planning framework for rural transportation systems. The research will extend traditional accessibility measures by incorporating transportation network uncertainty through scenario-based modeling of travel-time variability and disruption conditions. Reliability-aware accessibility metrics will be benchmarked against conventional accessibility measures and embedded within an optimization-based planning model that helps identify transportation interventions that improve reliable access under resource constraints. The framework will be demonstrated through a rural transportation case study using publicly available data and implemented as a prototype decision-support workflow for transportation planners.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2026 11:55:36 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2703797</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Implementing an Advanced Open-Source Activity Based Travel Demand Model to Support Rural Transportation Planning and Policy Decisions</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2692312</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Travel demand models (TDMs) are used to support state and regional transportation planning and policy decisions. TDMs were originally developed to forecast passenger traffic volumes with the primary objective of identifying investments to reduce traffic congestion. Today, TDMs are used to support a much broader range of purposes, including multimodal and freight transportation planning, demand management strategies, forecasting accessibility outcomes, evaluating network resiliency to disasters, and modeling air quality and public health impacts. However, the aggregate, trip based TDMs used by most regional and state transportation agencies lack the fidelity and sensitivity to evaluate contemporary planning and policy decisions. Activity based travel demand models (ABMs) offer substantial improvements and their agent-based simulation platforms allow for integration with a wide range of other agent-based modeling including land use simulation, vehicle adoption, population growth simulation models among others. Despite their advantages, the complexity of ABMs has constrained their adoption to all but the largest metropolitan areas, often with support from academic researchers. Smaller urban areas and rural states like Vermont could benefit substantially from adopting ABMs. The goal of this project is to implement an open source and/or free for public use ABM in Vermont. Several ABMs meeting these criteria have been developed by US Department of Energy labs. This project will implement a modeling platform that University of Vermont can use in partnership with regional and state stakeholders to advance rural transportation planning and policy research; perform a case study to demonstrate the unique capabilities of ABMs to inform current transportation policy debates in Vermont; identify implementation barriers; and identify future research directions to address implementation barriers to enable wider ABM adoption outside of large urban areas.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:09:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2692312</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Customizing Transportation Services and Technologies Based on Rural Patient Healthcare Needs</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2667211</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The purpose of this project is to build on previous research to better understand the various linkages between specific comorbidities, lifestyle habits and targeted public transportation-related services and technologies. In addition, the project will demonstrate how these services and technologies can be adapted specifically for rural populations to secure better health outcomes. The primary research methods for this project will be as follows: 1) obtain literature about risk factors for specific comorbidities and lifestyle habits and how they interact with healthcare system access ; 2) use data from the University of Kentucky’s Healthcare’s Center for Clinical and Translational Studies and other Southeastern health systems to create a panel analysis of health outcomes based on University of Kentucky’s patient surveys, lifestyle habits, known comorbidities and diagnoses, and patient histories; 3) review materials as needed to determine best practices and synthesize findings for transportation-based support for specific medical conditions for rural residents; and 4) work with technology transfer programs and other stakeholders to develop a tool and/or outreach materials based on project findings for technology transfer professionals to improve transportation efficiency, technology and system innovation in trainings for transit and healthcare providers. The goal is to help both health and transportation providers to implement customizable healthcare mobility strategies based on their logistical capacity and patient needs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:19:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2667211</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Connecting Underserved Rural Populations that have Disabilities to Automated Vehicle Technology for Improved Access and Mobility</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2526717</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The project will develop knowledge and practice at the confluence of automated vehicle (AV) technology with people with disabilities in rural and small-town communities. The aim is to provide more and better mobility options for people with disabilities. The project's purpose is to (1) create a framework based on a synthesis of literature and identify opportunities (especially for AV technologies) to address mobility gaps for people with disabilities; (2) create a unique database of people with disabilities in rural communities for analysis and insights; (3) apply statistical and artificial intelligence (AI) methods (e.g., explainable AI techniques such as Shapley Additive Explanations and Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanation) that can identify opportunities (benefits and costs) for AV technology adoption and impacts for people with disabilities. Interviews with disability service providers (Mobilityworks, Braunability) and AV suppliers (Waymo, Maymobility, and Nuro), and the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association (NMEDA) will offer insights into advancements, opportunities, and barriers to AV technology adoption. Information collected will include disability services, the features/performance of AV technologies, and their testing/deployment. The project will examine the first and last 100-meter connectivity challenge for disabled travelers and propose assistive infrastructure and technology solutions. The project will involve consultation with Aging, Disability, and Transit Services (ADTS) to understand mobility challenges for seniors and disabled individuals. The study will review adaptive vehicle solutions from disability service providers such as MobilityWorks and BraunAbility to evaluate AV-compatible wheelchair-accessible vans. It will examine the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliance standards for wheelchair-accessible AVs to ensure regulatory alignment. Using a conceptual and data-driven approach, the proposed project will accelerate progress in providing mobility access to people with disabilities through AV technologies. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:31:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2526717</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Charting the Course: Understanding the Interconnected Challenges in Rural Transportation Infrastructure Across Washington State</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2509038</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Rural transportation infrastructure plays a pivotal role in sustaining economic development, enhancing quality of life, and fostering social cohesion in remote areas. However, a myriad of interconnected challenges severely impedes its efficiency and accessibility, posing significant obstacles to regional growth and connectivity. Addressing these interconnected challenges demands a systems-aware approach that informs ways to integrate sustainable funding mechanisms, innovative technology solutions, and collaborative governance and policy frameworks. The proposed study uses a mixed-method participatory systems modeling approach to identify, map, and structurally analyze the factors influencing the sustainable and effective provision of rural transportation infrastructure in the state of Washington. The key research thrust rests on the need to map and structurally analyze the interconnected challenges impacting rural transportation infrastructure in Washington State.   The related and overarching objectives of our research are: (1) identify the core transportation challenges impacting rural communities in Washington State, (2) map the interactions that exist between the challenges as an interconnected system, and (3) use this map of challenges to propose areas for future research and action that have the potential for cascading impacts.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:58:04 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2509038</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluating Post-Crash Care Accessibility of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to Elderly Groups in Rural Areas</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2509049</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Rural areas face unique challenges following crashes due to longer emergency medical service (EMS) response times and limited access to advanced healthcare facilities. These delays can put the lives of elderly crash victims at greater risk, making timely care critical to their survival. Particularly for aging populations are particularly susceptible to severe injuries. As an individual’s age, physical fragility worsens the severity of injuries sustained in crashes. This makes it essential to ensure that older adults receive prompt and reliable post-crash care to improve their chances of survival. Despite ongoing efforts to improve transportation safety, gaps remain in understanding how post-crash care impacts survival and how EMS infrastructure can be optimized to reduce fatalities in rural settings. This research aims to address these critical gaps, focusing on survival analysis and EMS location optimization to enhance post-crash care accessibility. Post-crash care plays a vital role in saving lives and is a key focus of the Safe System Approach embraced by the USDOT to prevent fatalities and severe injuries. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:16:50 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2509049</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Data, Metrics, and Analytic Tools for Assessing Impacts of Surface Transportation Funding Programs</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2410388</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project was canceled on January 29, 2025, as a result of two Presidential Executive Orders: Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing (January 20, 2025) and Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity (January 21, 2025).
 ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Jul 2024 18:42:22 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2410388</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Practices. Topic 56-11. Practices for Transportation Planning in Non-Metropolitan Areas



</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2384706</link>
      <description><![CDATA[NCHRP Synthesis 663: Transportation Planning in Non-Metropolitan/Rural Areas presents the state of practice of state departments of transportation (DOTs) regarding transportation planning in non-metropolitan (rural) areas of their states. The synthesis includes information on the structure and roles of regional planning entities (RPEs), communication and engagement practices, planning responsibilities and products, support for rural planning capacity, integration of transit and multimodal 
planning, and challenges to coordination.

Under NCHRP Project 20-05/Topic 56-11, “Practices for Transportation Planning in Non-Metropolitan Areas,” the University of South Florida was asked to synthesize information to document state DOT practices for transportation planning in non-metropolitan areas. Information used in this study was obtained through a literature review, a survey of state DOTs, and interviews to develop in-depth case examples. The synthesis provides four case examples that highlight governance for planning in non-metropolitan areas, key coordination and support mechanisms used with RPEs or local governments, and barriers and challenges to non-metropolitan planning.

This synthesis is an immediately useful document for state DOT planning practitioners responsible for non-metropolitan planning because it highlights practices and strategies employed by state DOTs to ensure effective coordination with non-metropolitan officials with transportation responsibilities. The synthesis findings can be used by practitioners seeking to refine their practices. The synthesis also notes gaps in knowledge and practice that could be addressed by future researchers.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2024 20:29:09 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2384706</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The Efficiency and Affordability of Automated Vehicle Passenger Services in Rural and Under-Served Communities</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2384856</link>
      <description><![CDATA[We propose to assess the expected efficiency and affordability of automated vehicle (AV) passenger services, such as Waymo and Cruise, in rural and underserved communities. Our methodology involves applying an innovative model to predict the human-driven ride-hailing demand (Uber and Lyft) for every Census tract in the Southeast, assessing the potential for AVs to reduce the cost of providing equivalent service, and predicting how the demand would change in response to cost reductions.  We have already developed the predictive model, and via this CR2C2 REEG grant, we will quickly scale it up for large scale application and test its spatial transferability against observed data in rural areas. The results will enable transportation policy makers to engage with the AV companies in an informed way as the companies continue their roll-out in the Southeast.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 30 May 2024 19:01:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2384856</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Equity 360 Continuous Improvement Framework for Transportation Research</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2384956</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The purpose of this project is to develop an Equity Continuous Improvement Framework (E-CIF) for Transportation research activities. The investigators will use a five-step continuous improvement model to ensure that equity is infused at each stage of the research process. This project has been structured as a Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III endeavor. Phase I will focus on exploring what is meant by equity and how it can be implemented in transportation studies. Next, the study will identify the key parts of the research process at different institutions to understand how equity can be considered from the beginning to the completion of the research study. A major component to this study will be meeting with stakeholders (researchers, funding agencies, etc.) to gain their perspective on existing equity inclusion possibilities, and they will also assist in establishing the boundaries of this work. Equity measures will be identified for each of the different research activities followed by sample equity expectations and an implementation plan.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 30 May 2024 16:38:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2384956</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Cost-effective and Reliable Data and Communication Infrastructure for Enhancing Rural Transportation Safety and Efficiency</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2237916</link>
      <description><![CDATA[According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 43% of all roadway fatalities occur on rural roads, although only 19% of the US population lives in rural areas. This is largely due to unique challenges associated with rural roads (e.g., varying roadway geometrics, frequent animal crossings, reduced cell phone and communication coverage). This project will address these challenges and improve roadway safety conditions and transportation efficiency on rural roads by leveraging enhanced network connectivity, integrated multi-source data, improved analytics, and secure, optimally built connected infrastructure. The project will use different tools such as Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), secure data sharing techniques, artificial intelligence (AI), networked sensors, and computer vision. Project outcomes include using connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) as mobile sensing probes and connected smart infrastructure with low-cost sensors to acquire location specific data that can be used for advance warning of pedestrians and bicyclists, animals, stopped vehicles, and other potential hazardous roadway conditions. These detection and warning systems will generate warning messages that will be sent to nearby vehicles via Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X). Since transportation data is heterogeneous and varies in type, size, and time sensitivity, novel, cost-effective, and secure data infrastructure is needed to improve rural mobility and safety. The project will result in a secure, cost-effective, and scalable data infrastructure that serves as a data foundation to support rural mobility and safety innovations and improvements. The resulting safety tools and data infrastructure will impact the operations, maintenance, and management of rural transportation systems and support the development of smart rural applications that will enable high-resolution local traveler information, community-oriented ridesharing, and Mobility as a Service (MaaS).]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 31 Aug 2023 15:31:03 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2237916</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Wiyot Tribe, CA, Technical Assistance for Tribal Transportation Systems: Connecting Rural Transportation with Economic Opportunities</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2215873</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Table Bluff Reservation of the Wiyot Tribe is relatively small, from both a population and land-mass perspective, and is in an area not served by public transportation (transit). There is a need, however, for tribal members to get to larger communities in the region, such as Eureka, California, for shopping, medical needs, etc. This project will investigate all options to provide enhanced mobility for Wiyot Tribal members located on the Table Bluff Reservation, and provide recommendations on how to implement the best options for enhanced transportation/mobility.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 20 Jul 2023 15:00:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2215873</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Western States Rural Transportation Consortium Phase 2</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2077778</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Western States Rural Transportation Consortium (WSRTC) promotes innovative partnerships, technologies and educational opportunities to facilitate and enhance safe, seamless rural travel throughout the western United States. The WSRTC also provides a collaborative mechanism to leverage research activities in a coordinated manner to respond to rural transportation issues among western states related to technology, operations, and safety. This project will: 1) Hold multi-day annual workshops for discussion and exchange of information and knowledge about each state's Rural ITS needs, standards and applications. Each of these workshops will focus around planning and implementation of incubator and spin-off projects that meet the WSRTC objectives; 2) Support the presentation of WSRTC research at local and national conferences with the purpose of technology transfer; 3) Provide the Western States Rural Transportation Technology Implementers Forum to define, support and share technology of mutual interest; 4) Implement task orders, as requested by the WSRTC Steering Committee; 5) Develop and maintain the WSRTC website which will display workshop reports, incubator and spin-off project reports, and presentation material used at local and national conferences with the purpose of technology transfer.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 02 Dec 2022 23:19:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2077778</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>In Search of Simultaneous Benefits of Infrastructure Provisions on Freight and Bicycle Movements</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2023815</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The purpose of this project is to research rural roadway measures (e.g., wider shoulders, separated facilities) that could increase freight efficiency and safety (e.g., reduce run off the road incidents) while offering bicyclists simultaneous benefits (e.g., reduced traffic-related injuries and fatalities, reduced particulate matter inhalation). In addition to roadway measures, this project will also review vehicle characteristics (e.g., freight vehicle blind spot warnings) and related policy measures that could reduce freight-bicyclist conflicts on rural roadways. This project will primarily be comprised of a review of prior literature, including relevant federal, state, and local regulations, as well as a synthesis of case studies (e.g., implementation of new rural roadway standards in Boulder, Colorado after historic levels of flooding) to highlight practical solutions and best practices.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2022 17:32:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2023815</guid>
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