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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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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>Establishing a Unified Data Governance Framework for Reliable Project Prioritization in Transportation Agencies</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2712205</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Project prioritization is a cornerstone of effective transportation planning and investment. However, many state departments of transportation (DOTs) struggle with fragmented data systems, inconsistent data definitions, and unclear data ownership. These challenges result in decision-making that is often delayed, misinformed, or misaligned with strategic goals. The absence of  centralized, authoritative data source leads to duplication of effort, conflicting reports, and a lack of transparency. Moreover, undefined policies around data governance—such as who owns the data, who can access it, and how it should be maintained and secured—further exacerbate inefficiencies.

To address the fragmented data ecosystem that hinders effective decision-making, this research will examine successful strategies from leading transportation agencies, drawing on case studies that highlight the importance of interagency coordination, standardization of data formats, and robust digital delivery workflows. The research will identify scalable solutions to common workflow and workforce challenges, including the need for clear roles and responsibilities in data stewardship, ongoing workforce training, and adoption of compatible software infrastructure. The resulting data governance model and blueprint will be informed by national and international best practices, positioning state DOTs to deliver efficient, transparent, and high-impact transportation investments.

The objective of this research is to develop a unified data governance model and delivery framework that enables transportation agencies to provide timely, accurate, and reliable data for project prioritization.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:26:04 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2712205</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Rewrite and Modernize the Manual for Bridge Evaluation for Compliance with the Revised National Bridge Inspection Standards</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2712177</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Manual for Bridge Evaluation (MBE) is the primary manual for load rating of bridges and also includes important information regarding inspection and asset management. Bridge owners rely on the manual to remain compliant with the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS), but also to maintain safety of the traveling public without unnecessarily restricting commerce by overconservative load ratings. The MBE has been revised multiple times to attempt to keep up with research, but due to the size and complexity of the manual, these updates have been limited to individual sections of the manual, leading to inconsistencies. Addressing these inconsistencies will help bridge owners maintain the safety of their bridges without unnecessarily restricting commerce. The MBE needs to be comprehensively updated to incorporate changes in federal legislation and regulations, including (1) element-level bridge inspection on the National Highway System, (2) bridge management system as part of Transportation Asset Management Plan, (3) NBIS, and (4) the Specification for the National Bridge Inventory (SNBI).

Additionally, the MBE updates have not kept pace with innovations, research, and best practices, such as nondestructive evaluation techniques, underwater imaging, uncrewed inspection systems, bridge asset management systems, oversize/overweight permitting, posting, nonredundant steel tension members, and risk-based inspection intervals. Past updates lacked a holistic approach, which led to inconsistencies throughout the MBE. Some MBE topics may benefit from consolidating existing documents into the MBE, relocating existing MBE topics to other AASHTO documents, or creating independent manuals to streamline the user experience. NCHRP Project 20-123(21) is developing a plan to systematically update the AASHTO MBE. This project would implement the findings of that roadmap.

The objective of this research is to implement the Roadmap for the Rewrite of the Manual for Bridge Evaluation based on the recommendations from NCHRP Project 20-123(21). ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:57:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2712177</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Research for the AASHTO Standing Committee on Planning. Task 68. Implications of New 8-Hour Control Strategy Development on Transportation Programs, Policies, and Projects
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2706279</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This report is designed to support transportation agencies in identifying and evaluating candidate strategies for implementation under the new 8-hour ozone standard. Few studies have been conducted to determine which control strategies are better suited to reducing emissions of ozone precursors over the longer timeframe. This report provides information on tropospheric (ground-level) ozone formation and factors affecting ozone concentrations, the effects of advances in emissions control technology on future emissions rates, and the effectiveness of transportation strategies in reducing motor vehicle emissions and 1-hour and 8-hour ozone concentrations in a typical urban area.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2026 14:52:17 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2706279</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Technical Specification and Publication Web Service </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2673099</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Starting in 2021, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Research Section opted to provide access to an online standards portal for all of MoDOT. After some trial and error, the Research Section has changed vendors and limit-access to standards commonly used by MoDOT’s Bridge Division. Based on feedback from the Bridge Division, the Research Section should be able to tailor the service to meet their needs. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:23:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2673099</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Regulatory Assessment for Remote Assistance and Remote Driving</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2664622</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Automated driving systems (ADS) may rely on assistance from remote users. This operation may take the form of remote assistance, also referred to as teleassistance, where a remote user provides strategic advice to an ADS encountering a situation it cannot manage. In other instances, it may take the form of remote driving, also referred to as teleoperations or remote operations, where the remote user performs some or all of the real-time dynamic driving task (DDT) including braking, steering, acceleration, and transmission shifting. 

Although these technologies are actively in use, there is little understanding of the technological, operational, and legal challenges associated with their use from a government perspective. There are no standards governing minimum performance requirements of these systems such as minimum latency, network uptime, operator response time, minimum staffing levels, and remote user training standards. 
Many state ADS laws do not address remote users, and when they do, they merely require a valid license. Additionally, no state currently requires ADS to disclose to passengers when they are being controlled by remote drivers. 

Given the unknowns and potential safety concerns, more information is needed that can be used to develop more receptive regulations and standards, as well as better awareness of passengers utilizing these technologies
         ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 17:28:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2664622</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Accelerating IFC Adoption by Advancing IFC Validation Service and Software Certification Program</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652044</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This proposed Pooled Fund Study would look at the viability and best means to significantly enhance the scale and maturity of services (i.e., IFC Validation Service and Global IFC Software Certification), as well as recommend any additional technical and procedural efforts (such as Use Case-based Certification), needed to support software implementation and United States industry adoption and deployment. The following two primary business objectives would be achieved: Enabling state departments of transportation (DOTs) to specify certified (IFC and US industry standard exchange requirement compliant) software for road and bridge projects; Enabling state DOTs to validate deliverables from consultants and contractors to enhance project delivery and management quality. This work would be separate but complimentary to the ongoing work of TPF-5(523) BIM for Bridges & Structures Pooled Fund and TPF-5(480) BIM for Infrastructure Pooled Fund.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 10 Jan 2026 11:59:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652044</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of Performance Measures for Pothole-Patching Cold Asphalt Mix Materials for Safe and Sustainable Transportation
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2627349</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Potholes pose traffic safety hazards, which can cause significant damage to vehicles if they are left unpatched. Pothole patching materials considered in the proposal is a cold asphalt mix, which lacks flexibility and does not stick to a pothole as well as hot asphalt mixes. Therefore, cold asphalt mix materials to the potholes can be dislodged by moving traffic and can pose safety hazards to both vehicles and pedestrians.
There are many pothole-patching cold asphalt mix materials available in the market, however, there are no widely accepted performance measures to evaluate these products. The effectiveness of pothole patching materials greatly influences the durability and longevity of roads, and therefore it is crucial to evaluate their performances for severe freezing and thawing conditions of the Midwest. This proposal aims to evaluate existing cold asphalt mix materials for pothole patching with the purpose of developing laboratory testing procedures and performance measures and developing a new innovative patching material to promote traffic safety and sustainability.

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:17:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2627349</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Framework for Enhanced Model Evaluations for Project-Level Air Quality Analyses


</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2558418</link>
      <description><![CDATA[State departments of transportation (DOTs) conduct project-level air quality analyses as part of the National Environmental Policy Act and 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments to meet transportation conformity rule requirements. These analyses are conducted with travel demand forecasting models; vehicle emissions models, such as the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) and the EMFAC (EMission FACtor) model; and air quality dispersion models, such as the American Meteorological Society (AMS)/Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regulatory Model (AERMOD). A model evaluation process (MEP) is typically employed to assess the contextual suitability of available models and conformance with the regulatory modeling chain (RMC) of traffic, emissions, and, as applicable for the pollutant(s) involved, dispersion, including the determination of representative background concentrations. 

However, current MEPs typically focus on individual models and not the overall RMC or the full array of regulatory transportation applications (e.g., project types and associated configurations, operating conditions and settings, pollutants and compliance tests) required to be modeled. NCHRP Research Report 1058: Assessing Air Pollution Dispersion Models for Emissions Regulation first recommended the implementation of an enhanced model evaluation process (EMEP) for the RMC to supplement existing evaluation processes that focus on individual models. Responding to an EPA notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) indicated additional support for the development of an EMEP in its Comments on Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Guideline on Air Quality Models Enhancements to the AERMOD Dispersion Modeling System. Research is needed to further develop a framework to develop this EMEP and update existing recommendations. 

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this project is to further develop the framework for an EMEP for transportation air quality models for surface transportation projects and support its implementation. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 26 May 2025 22:32:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2558418</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Standardization</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2553857</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UASs) have been widely accepted by state departments of transportation (DOTs) over the last decade. Although UASs have been integrated into workflows and are being leveraged as a supplemental tool across a large variety of use cases there is yet to be defined standards developed. State DOTs need UAS data collection standards, specifically for leading use cases such as, surveying, construction inspection and bridge inspections. 
OBJECTIVES: This project will create a comprehensive UAS Standards and Specifications guidebook that provides State DOTs with the needed UAS data collection standards and best practices. A standalone standards guidebook will be developed and validated for the following use cases: Survey; Construction; Bridge Inspections; As-builts; Incident Management; Earth Movement; and Asset Lifecycle and Mainenance.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2025 17:34:22 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2553857</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Simple for Dead, Continuous for Live (SDCL) - MoDOT Steel Superstructure Standards</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2548653</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Use of Simple for Dead, Continuous for Live (SDCL) steel superstructures on Missouri roadways can potentially save money on projects where the current standards (continuous for dead and live load) are more expensive and/or cannot compete with concrete superstructures. The research team will create engineering policy guidance with standard details for inclusion in Section 751.14. Guidance would include span configurations where this methodology is best value or competitive. Standard details would primarily address the superstructure detail over intermediate bents.  ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2025 08:52:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2548653</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>AASHTO LRFD Design, Installation, and Standard Practice of Testing for Cured In-Place Pipe Liners</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2533713</link>
      <description><![CDATA[State departments of transportation (DOTs) are increasingly using trenchless strategies to rehabilitate and repair aging infrastructure within urbanized areas. Performing pipe repairs to existing systems, as compared to pipe replacement, significantly reduces the construction time and maintenance of traffic operations and roadway reconstruction. This provides increased public safety and cost savings to the state DOTs. One of the most common pipe rehabilitation methods is cured in-place pipe (CIPP) liners. CIPP liners are a trenchless technology that provides a method to structurally rehabilitate existing pipes and conduits with minimal impact to the traveling public. The liner consists of a resin-impregnated material that is inserted into the existing damaged host pipe.
 
Currently, there is insufficient information available to ensure the CIPP liner possesses the properties and durability of the expected life span of this repair strategy. Pipe owners and CIPP contractors need design guide and testing standards for CIPP pipe rehabilitation repair.
 
The objectives of this research was to develop (1) an AASHTO guide for design and installation of CIPP liners for structural rehabilitation of existing pipelines and conduits including design examples to demonstrate the application of the guide and (2) an AASHTO standard practice for test methods for CIPP liner technology. The AASHTO guide for design of CIPP liners will be based on the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) method.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2025 09:26:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2533713</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of Load Ratings for Alaska Legal Loads Exempted by Federal Law</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2512619</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In Alaska, the gross vehicle weight (GVW) is not specified. Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) is working with Modjeski and Masters to evaluate how this could affect the bridge inventory. The study includes the review of weigh-in-motion (WIM) data, overload permit history, current bridge inventory capacity, plus AASHTO and National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) requirements. The research study deliverables include (1) development of a notional load, rating formula, recommended maximum GVW, and live load factors to address loads on designated Alaska Interstate routes which conform to state legal limits but exceed the 80,000-pound Interstate GVW limit, (2) analysis of vehicles from legal loads up to 125% of state legal loads, and (3) recommended reduced inspection frequencies according to the new NBIS requirements for any affected bridges.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:37:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2512619</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>	Guardrail Height Safety Requirements Given Recent Crash History and Evolution of Vehicle Design</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2512572</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The purpose of this project is to evaluate the adequacy of the current 
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) guardrail height standard in response to recent changes in vehicle design. Through a comprehensive analysis of crash data and guardrail failures or breaches in sections with both 27¾-inch and 31-inch guardrail heights, the study aims to assess the effectiveness of the 31-inch height standard in preventing vehicle breaches and providing adequate protection for occupants and other road users. This project will address the performance and suitability of the current guardrail height standard, ensuring it aligns with the evolving dynamics of modern vehicle impacts.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2512572</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Developing a Framework for Defining Quality and Constructability of Transportation Projects</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2440042</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Changing demographics in Vermont is resulting in an aging contractor workforce and difficulties attracting new employees into the construction trades. Project plan content and the quality processes at the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) have not changed significantly since the construction of the Interstate. And in that time, much has changed with materials, construction equipment, and technology in the transportation industry. VTrans is experiencing less competition when bidding projects with corresponding price increases that appear to outpace inflation. Currently there is no formal process to engage the contracting community to get feedback on plan content, project risk and quality. This research would develop a framework for VTrans to implement to engage the contracting community to improve partnering and for feedback to VTrans (Structures Program) to better define risk, quality, and constructability.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Oct 2024 13:53:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2440042</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Determine Feasibility and Efficacy of Hollow Precast Straddle Bents</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2437679</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Contractors have recently shown keen interest in utilizing hollow precast straddle bent concepts in major Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) projects. These contractor-proposed concepts come with multiple benefits, such as reduced weight, improved transportability, efficient erection procedures, cost-effectiveness, and minimized potential for disrupting traffic. However, there is currently a knowledge gap regarding the in-service performance and durability of these elements. Consequently, TxDOT has reservations regarding the service and ultimate load behavior of these concepts, primarily due to the lack of well-defined design criteria and proven structural performance. TxDOT aims to establish clear design criteria and ensure proven structural performance in this context.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Oct 2024 09:51:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2437679</guid>
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