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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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    <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>
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      <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>Navigating Improved Outcomes with Transportation Corridor Rankings</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2577110</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Risk rankings and other measurement tools like level of service are trusted approaches utilized by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to ensure projects lead to systematic improvements over time. This research will explore how to develop a similar, comprehensive system for assigning public health ratings (community context, safety, health inequities, physical activity, chronic disease, air quality, etc.) to Minnesota trunk highway corridors. The project will also identify how to integrate the health ratings into state transportation decision-making efforts, such as project selection criteria, project prioritization, or mitigation guidance.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2025 10:29:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2577110</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Understanding Transit Willingness-to-Ride, Barriers-to-Access, and Anticipated Impacts of Proposed BRT Corridors</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417302</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The proposed project will focus on communities along the bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors of Federal Boulevard and East Colfax Avenue in Denver. The purpose of the proposed project is twofold: (i) to understand the current barriers of transit use, such as a lack of bus stop infrastructure, safety concerns, first and last-mile connectivity issues, etc.; and (ii) to identify solutions that best address the needs of the community. The aim is to complement and expand the scope of Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)’s ongoing work towards making the BRT project successful and equitable. The proposed BRT lines run through very diverse communities, both in terms of race and income, so understanding the unique needs and concerns of the communities impacted is essential. A study engaging community members and their direct input can help ensure that the effects of BRT introduction are equitably distributed in both the short and long term]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 14 Aug 2024 11:59:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417302</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Social Life Cycle Analysis of Zero Emission Heavy-duty Trucks</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2414311</link>
      <description><![CDATA[California has implemented ambitious policies to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) and air toxins from the transport sector for both passenger vehicles and trucks. Most recently, the Advanced Clean Fleet and Advanced Clean Truck rules mandate a transition to zero emission trucks by 2042 for the entire state. These regulations are based on tailpipe emissions. While reducing tailpipe emissions is critical for reducing the health impacts of emissions on local populations, the operation/use phase is only one phase of the truck life cycle that produces emissions. From a climate change perspective, the emissions generated over the entire life of the truck is a more appropriate measure for GHG reduction.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been developed for this purpose. There are two types of LCA: environmental LCA (E-LCA) and social LCA (S-LCA). E-LCA looks at inputs (water, electricity, energy) and outputs (GHGs, other emissions/toxins) to calculate a normalized environmental footprint over a product's life. S-LCA analyzes a product's social and socio-economic aspects to identify site-specific supply chain impacts (where the activities occur), both positive and negative, for each phase (material acquisition, transformation, distribution, etc.). Impact categories include health, safety, and working conditions for various stakeholder groups. Taken together, these tools can provide a comprehensive assessment of both environmental and social impacts.
 
Building on their previous research on E-LCA for heavy-duty trucks, the researchers will conduct a S-LCA analysis to assess the social impacts of battery-electric and fuel cell trucks. This S-LCA research will include all materials and life cycle phases for hypothetical battery-electric and hydrogen electric fuel cell trucks, focusing on the materials required for large batteries and fuel cells. S-LCA will pinpoint “hot spots” of harm across the supply chain. The combined LCA (environmental plus social) will provide a more comprehensive assessment of these alternative fuel trucks and a more informed basis for designing zero emission vehicle policies. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 08 Aug 2024 19:32:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2414311</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Airport Practices. Topic S03-20. Integrating Advanced Air Mobility into Aviation System Planning</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2413901</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The rapid advancement of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies has the potential to revolutionize air transportation. These technologies promise to reduce travel time, enhance connectivity, and contribute to sustainability goals by offering cleaner, more efficient modes of transportation. Current aviation methods of safety assurance and risk management do not fully account for the operational, safety, and community impact considerations unique to AAM, such as low-altitude operations in densely populated areas, the establishment and management of vertiports, and the integration with existing ground infrastructure and transportation systems. Some cities and regions have begun to explore the possibilities of AAM and developed planning frameworks that both address these challenges and incorporate non-traditional aviation stakeholders as part of these systems. 

The objective of this synthesis is to document the state planning efforts that have been developed to support the integration of AAM into existing state aviation system planning. For this project, AAM should focus on “larger, initially piloted aircraft designed to carry passengers, or similar sized aircraft designed to carry cargo” (ACRP Synthesis 130, pg. 2). The audience for this synthesis is state aviation agencies, practitioners that complete airport/system planning work products, OEMs/AAM operators, and airport operators.  ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 05 Aug 2024 19:41:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2413901</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Managing Community Impacts During Construction: A Guide




</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381737</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As the nation’s highway system is updated to meet future needs, state departments of transportation (DOTs) are managing the construction of increasingly complex transportation projects. As the size and complexity of these projects have increased, so has the need for identifying and addressing the impacts of project construction on communities, including disruptions to mobility, accessibility, community institutions, and quality of life.

Many community impacts and their associated mitigation measures are defined in project planning and design. However, the extent of the impact on a community is often not realized until the project is under construction. For example, business access or deliveries may be unexpectedly cut off, access to principal community destinations like parks or religious institutions may be affected, and noise or light pollution from the construction zone may disturb community residents. Often the impacts may not arise until well after construction is complete. For example, some communities experience changes to land use or housing and business rental affordability that can have lasting effects on the culture and composition of a community. 

State DOTs often implement community impact strategies to mitigate the impacts of construction and build community support for the project. Examples of mitigation include providing construction-related career development; local and small business participation in construction; providing access to local businesses and other community destinations such as places of worship, hospitals, and parks in construction zones; and incorporating community-focused project features. Developing and implementing strategies for providing community benefits during construction require skills and expertise that are not typical of the construction workforce. Research is needed to support state DOTs in managing construction-related community impacts. 

The objective of this research is to develop a guide on avoiding and mitigating community impacts from transportation project construction applicable to a variety of project contexts, sizes, and types. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 22 May 2024 11:40:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381737</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RES2021-06: A Framework for Quantitative Assessment of the Environmental, Social and Economic Benefits of TDOT Infrastructure Projects</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2338577</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Traditional infrastructure planning and design has mostly focused on the economic impacts of a project, while under prioritizing the environmental and social impacts. As state departments of transportation begin to integrate Green Infrastructure (GI) and Low Impact Development strategies into transportation infrastructure—to meet sustainability goals, promote economic growth, and enhance public safety and social objectives—there is a need for a standardized framework that quantifies and considers economic, environmental, and social impacts while also taking public opinion and the hierarchy of importance for these benefits into consideration. This study aims to develop a systematic quantification framework that does just that, with the use of spatially specific and temporally dynamic metrics, objective weights, practical quantification methods, and calculations to value tangential benefits. This framework is meant to be used by practitioners to assess the applicability and quantified benefits of GI practices to be used in transportation projects. To do this, the Analytical Hierarchy Process and Monte Carlo Simulation methods, along with results from two surveys, are employed to build the toolbox, complete with a searchable database of applicable GI measures that can be used for specific field conditions of a project. Additionally, a step-by-step user guide has been developed to facilitate practitioner’s use of the toolbox, and a case study was conducted to demonstrate the toolbox‘ capabilities and benefits.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 09 Feb 2024 14:19:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2338577</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development and Evaluation of C-V2X Technologies for Application in Middlesex County</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2169766</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary goals of this proposal are (1) to identify the existing traffic, safety, and environmental problems caused by pass-through traffic and natural calamities in New Brunswick, NJ; (2) to foster partnerships with local agencies and communities, focusing on their needs and concerns; (3) to introduce resilient transportation solutions that would minimize traffic spillbacks and enhance safety and (4) to aim for a transportation system that reduces environmental impact, particularly in the face of natural disasters.

The intended outcome of the project is the development of cutting-edge software or application dedicated to community mobility, providing real-time alerts, traffic updates, and safety measures.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 21 Oct 2023 10:38:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2169766</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Transportation Asset Risk and Resilience Analysis in Coastal Communities</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2260008</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Flood risk assessment for urban road infrastructure faces significant challenges, particularly due to the scarcity of historical inundation data and the computational inefficiencies of traditional hydrodynamic models. This study addresses these challenges by leveraging 592 modular 2D hydrodynamic flood simulations to assess both direct agency costs (infrastructure repair) and user costs (travel time delays) resulting from flood events. The methodology integrates hazard scenario generation, hazard-asset pairing, vulnerability assessment, and impact analysis to develop a holistic framework for flood risk and resilience assessment.
Harris County, TX, a flood-prone region that includes the Houston metropolitan area, serves as the testbed for this analysis. High-resolution flood simulations are paired with geospatial road network data to estimate inundation depths and associated damages for over 21,000 road segments. Depth-damage functions are applied to quantify the direct economic costs of road infrastructure damage, while a transportation resilience model calculates the societal impacts in terms of travel time delays across flood scenarios.
The results demonstrate that flood-induced infrastructure damage and travel disruptions exhibit spatial heterogeneity and nonlinear relationships with inundation depth, highlighting critical road segments that require targeted resilience interventions. By combining direct and societal costs into a unified monetary metric, this study provides stakeholders with a robust decision-support tool for prioritizing flood mitigation investments and enhancing urban resilience. The framework’s computational efficiency and scalability make it adaptable for application in other flood-prone regions, offering a valuable resource for policymakers, planners, and engineers.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 03 Oct 2023 21:47:52 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2260008</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development and Application of a Cost-Benefit Tool for Quantifying External Social Impacts of Small to Mid-Size Transportation Projects (4.13)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1994584</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This two-year project will focus on developing methods for quantifying the external social costs of transportation civil infrastructure projects, particularly small to mid-size projects that are common in New England states. Transportation projects have costs and benefits that affect society that are external to the project budget. These external costs and benefits of transportation projects can include effects on the environment, health, equity, and the overall resiliency of the system. Although the overall costs of a project to society (a project’s “social costs”) include both project costs and external costs, the latter are rarely included in project cost assessments, particularly on small to modest size projects. The proposed project therefore aims at filling this gap by developing a relatively easy to understand and implement methodology and an associated user-friendly tool to assist transportation professionals in assessing full social costs and benefits of a project. This will better inform transportation decision making such as for consideration of design alternatives, project prioritization, or adoption of new technologies and engineering innovations. The project will include clear and concise practice-oriented guidance material and training to support the use of the developed tool by transportation practitioners.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 15 Jul 2022 15:32:07 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1994584</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Impacts of Transit on Health in Rural and Small Urban Areas</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1984647</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Transit can impact the health of its users in several ways. Many transit riders in rural communities rely on public transportation to get to their medical appointments. Improving access to other types of activities can also have health benefits. Improved access to grocery stores and nutritious food can directly impact health, while improved access to other activities can be indirectly beneficial to health. By allowing users to make trips they otherwise would not have made, transit reduces social isolation and stress, allows for independent living, and increases a person's social network. Transit has also been shown in urban areas to positively impact health by increasing the physical activity of its users. For all of these reasons, transportation is often referred to as a social determinant of health.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:51:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1984647</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Analysis of Public Transportation Health Impacts and Benefits</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1893356</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Investments in public transportation can result in improved health outcomes in multiple dimensions: directly to individuals from increases in physical activity; indirectly to individuals through access to economic, educational, and social opportunities which are critical social determinants of health; as well as population-level reductions in negative environmental and safety impacts associated with automobiles. This research identified health benefits to transit riders and communities, discussed how these benefits can be measured and incorporated in decision-making, and provided communication tools directed to the public and decision-makers regarding the health benefits of public transportation. 

Under Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) project J-11/Task 43, Analysis of Public Transportation Health Impacts and Benefits Steer was asked to develop an evidence-informed resource for public transportation agencies and their partners that focuses on the physical and mental health benefits of public transportation in urban, suburban, and rural areas. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 25 Nov 2021 13:17:17 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1893356</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Policy and Planning Actions to Internalize Societal Impacts of CV and AV Systems into Market Decisions</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1877218</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Vehicle manufacturers and third-party vendors are continually introducing new automated vehicle (AV) technologies into the marketplace. Connected vehicle (CV) technologies are also moving towards implementation, with NHTSA rule-making being a key driver.   Vehicles that are increasingly automated and connected (to each other and/or to infrastructure) offer many benefits in areas such as safety, mobility, and environment. However, there is a gap between the consumer benefits that motivate vehicle manufacturers and owners and the societal benefits that motivate public agencies. Without action by governments, there is a risk that some of the public benefits from these transformative technologies will not be realized.   In similar situations, state, regional, and local governments have exercised their authority to make policies or plans in order to internalize public benefits in private-sector decisions. Low emission vehicles have been incentivized with access to HOV facilities, for example. Preferential parking now accompanies public parking for electric vehicles.   The objective of this research was to identify and describe policy and planning actions at the state, regional, and local levels that could help societal impacts (including impacts on transportation system owner/operators) of connected vehicle (CV) and automated vehicle (AV) technologies to be internalized in market decisions made by individuals and organizations. The CV and AV technologies should include those being developed for all modes (e.g., cars, trucks, transit, bicycles, and pedestrians) and the interfaces between them.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 08 Sep 2021 20:53:09 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1877218</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Lessons Learned from Covid-19: Strategies to Enhance Racial and Social Equity Through Public Transportation As a Community Lifeline</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1753481</link>
      <description><![CDATA[No abstract provided.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Nov 2020 19:46:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1753481</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Quantification of Societal Bicycle Impacts (Phase III)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1669763</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In 1994 President Clinton issued Executive Order 12898 which directs Federal Agencies to identify and avoid negative impacts: “Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations”. The EO directs each Federal Agency to “make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations,” including tribal populations.  Although the EO is clearly aimed to identify and reduce negative impacts, provision of bicycle facilities to EJ as well as other population segments may have significant, identifiable positive impacts but very little has been done to document positive bicycle facility impacts.  A first step toward identifying positive impacts is estimation of usage by EJ as well as the population in general. 

There has been some work performed to estimate impacts of bicycle facilities but very little has directly examined impacts on EJ or other specific population segments and available tools for forecasting numbers of bicycle users, much less, estimating impacts are relatively scarce.  Most methods for estimating impacts of bicycle facilities have been focused on very large-scale analyses, however, impacts of specific bicycle facilities or impacts upon specific population segments are rarely reported.  Potential positive impacts of bicycle facilities are dependent upon the numbers of bicycle riders who actually use the facility once it is constructed.  Predictive models for bicycle facility usage are developed using a combination of bicycle facility user counts, origin-destination surveys and socioeconomic data.  A direct estimation method as well as a two-step estimation procedure are developed to estimate usage of a proposed bicycle facility.  The use of zonal socioeconomic characteristics as predictor variables is intended to enable the models to predict bicycle facility usage by population segments.  Usage predictions can form the basis for broad spectrum estimates of bicycle facility impacts upon health, food availability, employment access and ultimately regional sustainability.  
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 01 Dec 2019 22:29:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1669763</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Forecasting Bicycle Facility Demand to Estimate Societal Impacts (Phase II)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1595110</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In 1994 President Clinton issued Executive Order (EO) 12898 which directs Federal Agencies to identify and avoid negative impacts: “Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations”. The EO directs each Federal Agency to “make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations,” including tribal populations.  Although the EO is clearly aimed to identify and reduce negative impacts, provision of bicycle facilities to environmental justice (EJ) as well as other population segments may have significant, identifiable positive impacts but very little has been done to document positive bicycle facility impacts.  A first step toward identifying positive impacts is estimation of usage by EJ as well as the population in general. 
There has been some work performed to estimate impacts of bicycle facilities but very little has directly examined impacts on EJ or other specific population segments and available tools for forecasting numbers of bicycle users, much less, estimating impacts are relatively scarce.  Most methods for estimating impacts of bicycle facilities have been focused on very large-scale analyses, however, impacts of specific bicycle facilities or impacts upon specific population segments are rarely reported.  Potential positive impacts of bicycle facilities are dependent upon the numbers of bicycle riders who actually use the facility once it is constructed.  Predictive models for bicycle facility usage are developed using a combination of bicycle facility user counts, origin-destination surveys and socioeconomic data.  A direct estimation method as well as a two-step estimation procedure are developed to estimate usage of a proposed bicycle facility.  The use of zonal socioeconomic characteristics as predictor variables is intended to enable the models to predict bicycle facility usage by population segments.  Usage predictions can form the basis for broad spectrum estimates of bicycle facility impacts upon health, food availability, employment access and ultimately regional sustainability.  
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2019 11:55:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1595110</guid>
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