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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=PHNlYXJjaD48cGFyYW1zPjxwYXJhbSBuYW1lPSJzdWJqZWN0aWQiIHZhbHVlPSIxNzg1IiAvPjxwYXJhbSBuYW1lPSJkYXRlaW4iIHZhbHVlPSI3MzAiIC8+PHBhcmFtIG5hbWU9InN1YmplY3Rsb2dpYyIgdmFsdWU9Im9yIiAvPjxwYXJhbSBuYW1lPSJ0ZXJtc2xvZ2ljIiB2YWx1ZT0ib3IiIC8+PHBhcmFtIG5hbWU9ImxvY2F0aW9uIiB2YWx1ZT0iMTYiIC8+PC9wYXJhbXM+PGZpbHRlcnMgLz48cmFuZ2VzIC8+PHNvcnRzPjxzb3J0IGZpZWxkPSJwdWJsaXNoZWQiIG9yZGVyPSJkZXNjIiAvPjwvc29ydHM+PHBlcnNpc3RzPjxwZXJzaXN0IG5hbWU9InJhbmdldHlwZSIgdmFsdWU9InB1Ymxpc2hlZGRhdGUiIC8+PC9wZXJzaXN0cz48L3NlYXJjaD4=" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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    <language>en-us</language>
    <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>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>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>CEM Innovation Accelerator</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2636170</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will establish an “Innovation Accelerator” for the Center for Efficient Mobility (CEM)  to act as an incubator for commercializing technologies related to healthy and efficient mobility. The CEM consortium led by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has already laid the groundwork for this effort through the identification of stakeholders and partners and the establishment of an innovation ecosystem to accelerate the development, adoption, and commercialization of new transportation technologies, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation.  This project will formalize the innovation ecosystem within CEM, supported by commercialization support and stakeholder engagement. It will include commercialization support from technology commercialization and licensing offices at TTI and the A&M System, with support from facilities at our partner institutions, and input and advice from stakeholders. Through support, seed funding, commercialization grants, and the necessary legal and business support, CEM will champion students, faculty, and researchers in their efforts to commercialize any intellectual property developed as part of the grant. CEM will leverage the support of Texas A&M’s Innovation Office (https://innovation.tamus.edu/). CEM will also work with their counterparts at other consortium members such as Georgia Tech's CREATE-X and Quadrant-i initiatives (https://commercialization.gatech.edu/ ) and work with researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors to spin off new companies based on CEM research.   The key aspects of this project include:  Stakeholder Engagement – CEM will formalize a stakeholder engagement and advisory function to identify needs and problems that can be solved through research and technology developed by CEM; Innovation Ecosystem – Students, researchers, and faculty will be supported as they advance research outcomes. The innovation ecosystem will connect them to experts, entrepreneurs, and business communities. Testing facilities and seed funding will also be made available as needed to support technology development.  Commercialization Support -  Commercialization experts from within the consortium  will provide education,  technical support, legal and business support   to researchers who develop technologies with potential for commercialization.  ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2026 15:56:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2636170</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Strategic Approaches to Managing Emerging Transportation Infrastructure Assets Through Public-Private Partnership</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2658058</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Oklahoma is currently undergoing major transportation infrastructure network expansions statewide yet faces unique challenges especially in low population regions with insufficient travel demand and questions of economic viability. This project aims to develop a business case for the management of emerging transportation infrastructure assets for different regions in Oklahoma by analyzing best practices from other states, assessing the interdependence between infrastructure assets and travel demand, and evaluating innovative funding and partnership models. The project will focus on charging infrastructure for alternative fuel vehicles as the use case. The research will identify strategies to reduce long-term maintenance cost, increase technology adoption, and prioritize locations for infrastructure expansions based on short-range and long-term community needs and economic impacts. Key tasks include a (1) comprehensive literature review and policy benchmarking, (2) vulnerability, interdependency, and accessibility analysis, (3) key stakeholder engagement, (4) economic and technical feasibility analysis, (5) development of asset management strategies and implementable guidelines for Oklahoma DOT and its partners. The anticipated outcomes include actionable recommendations to support the long-term financial viability of transportation infrastructure asset management, promote access, and foster economic growth in different communities. Overall, the proposed research will analyze the economic feasibility of emerging transportation infrastructure asset management strategies through cost-benefit assessments and investment justifications, strengthening the case for federal and private funding. Its alignment with national priorities and ODOT’s goals ensures the findings are both timely and impactful. Based on the results, ODOT may need to revise Oklahoma’s Transportation Asset Management (2022-2031) and Long Range Transportation (2022-2031) plans to incorporate updated guidelines on financial viability, location priorities, and infrastructure life cycle management. Implementing these changes before future expansions will improve efficiency and ensure smoother project delivery. The results will directly contribute to the state’s mission of building a safer, more reliable, and efficient transportation system.  ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:43:13 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2658058</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Impact of Noise Barriers on Residential Property Values</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652033</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Highway noise barriers require substantial investment from the Commonwealth of Virginia, yet their effects on nearby residential property values remain uncertain. This study will evaluate the impact of highway noise barriers on residential property values in Virginia, addressing two gaps: (1) reliance on dated Virginia studies, and (2) unclear roles of confounding factors such as school redistricting, crime, interest rates, HOA (homeowner associations and associated amenities), and economic shocks.  The study will deliver Virginia-specific, quantitative evidence on the extent to which noise barriers affect property values.

The study will identify and analyze at least eight matched pairs of neighborhoods (one with a barrier and one without) for the years with available 2012-2024 sales data, with additional pairs included as data availability allows.  If those years are not available, the analysis will focus on the years for which verified sales and barrier data can be obtained.  A regression model will be developed that forecast the log of sales price based on barrier presence or absence plus confounding factors such as home size, type of neighborhood, and time (year and quarter) of sale.  Then, the regression model will be used in two study designs—a cross-sectional analysis and a pre-post analysis.

This study has been requested by Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT’s) Environmental Division to support litigation and to improve communication with citizens.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 09 Jan 2026 09:12:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652033</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Rural Multi-Hazard Infrastructure Planning for Evacuation Safety and Economic Resilience</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652031</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Wildfires increasingly threaten communities in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where development meets flammable vegetation. As the WUI expands, disaster risk grows more complex—wildfires often trigger or are intensified by other hazards, including earthquakes and severe weather. These compounding risks are particularly challenging in rural areas, where infrastructure is limited, evacuation routes are sparse, and small businesses play a central role in community resilience.

This project addresses two key gaps: (1) rural wildfire evacuation under multi-hazard conditions and (2) business continuity for small enterprises in WUI regions. First, a Community Advisory Board (CAB) will guide the research, ensuring it reflects local knowledge and priorities. Second, the research team will develop a GeoAI-driven, agent-based model to simulate evacuations under wildfire, earthquake, and weather scenarios, using environmental, transportation, and demographic data. Third, the team will build a business continuity model that predicts how rural businesses recover from wildfire disruptions, incorporating infrastructure damage, supply chain challenges, and community displacement.

Findings will inform land use planning, evacuation design, and recovery strategies tailored to rural needs. This work supports future disaster response and strengthens long-term resilience for communities facing growing multi-hazard risks.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 16:12:13 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652031</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Including Latent benefits in CDOT Bustang ROI Calculation</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2643442</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will develop a data-driven methodology to calculate the benefits of the Bustang service to Colorado, taking into account factors beyond a farebox calculation of financial return. It will calculate the monetary equivalent of latent (non-monetary) benefits and therefore allow the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to make informed choices based on the true return on investment (ROI) of Bustang, a state-run interregional express bus service.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2025 14:05:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2643442</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Transit Priority Expectations – Cost-Effectiveness and Service Provision Impacts



</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2636146</link>
      <description><![CDATA[There are multiple methods to improve transit priority, however, there is no standardized method to measure or predict these benefits across transit agencies and project types nationwide. This research aims to evaluate the impacts of transit priority infrastructure on cost-effectiveness and service provision. Specifically, it will examine how investments in transit priority measures—such as dedicated bus lanes, signal priority, and stop consolidation—affect transit operating costs, service reliability, and overall efficiency.

Caltrans currently holds an archive of General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) and GTFS-Realtime derived transit speed and reliability data for most transit service across California, which the research team will be able to use in their analysis. To ensure the research results are applicable not just to one region or agency, researchers are also encouraged to pursue datasets from other agencies, including but not limited to the Chicago Transit Authority, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Through this research, transit agencies will be able to assess the potential benefits and trade-offs of implementing various transit priority strategies. State Departments of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and other local and regional stakeholders could then use an evidence-based approach to estimate the cost-effectiveness and service effects of potential transit priority measures based on existing data such as transit speed and reliability, land use, and road network characteristics. All of which can result in transit riders enjoying a faster, more frequent service through more efficient use of existing operating funds and increased investments in transit service are tied to transformative outcomes.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 19:58:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2636146</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Cost Effective Roundabouts: Evaluate Options for Reducing Roundabout Footprints and Construction Costs</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2636041</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The operational and safety benefits of modern roundabouts are well established, providing less delay and significantly reducing fatalities and serious injuries. While their use in Texas and throughout the country continues to grow, opportunities for further implementation can be limited in some locations due to their relatively high construction costs, compared to alternatives such as traditional intersections controlled by stop signs or traffic signals. The footprint of roundabouts is larger than these traditional alternatives, increasing costs for right-of-way and pavement; while those upfront construction costs can be mitigated over the life of the intersection through reduced maintenance and operation costs, the construction costs are still a factor in the decision-making process for intersection control. This effect can be even more pronounced when attempting to build roundabouts with scarce safety, maintenance, or mobility funds, as the cost of one roundabout can account for the entire annual allotment of a district’s safety funds. To maximize opportunities for roundabout implementation, research is needed to identify more cost-effective ways to address footprint and construction costs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2025 14:19:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2636041</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Practices. Topic 57-04. Practices for Incorporating Inflation into Cost Estimates</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2630485</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Incorporating inflation into transportation cost estimates is a standard practice among state departments of transportation (DOTs), but the methods, tools, and policies used vary widely. Inflation adjustments are particularly important for long-term programs and multi-phase projects where delays, funding cycles, and volatile market conditions can significantly affect project costs.

While some state DOTs apply standardized annual escalation rates or use historical cost indexes, others rely on regional data, producer price indexes (PPI), and national construction cost indexes. The National Highway Construction Cost Index, for example, has been used by state DOTs to adjust for inflation and price escalation. Practices differ in terms of when inflation is applied (e.g., year-of-expenditure or letting), how often inflation rates are updated, and whether inflation is embedded in unit costs or added as a separate line item. The lack of uniformity can lead to inconsistencies in budgeting, programming, and communication with stakeholders. Recent research and national surveys indicate that many state DOTs include inflation in their cost estimates but face challenges in methodology selection, forecasting accuracy, and transparency.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this synthesis is to document current state DOT practices for incorporating inflation into cost estimates, including adjustment methods, data sources, forecasting tools, application timing, organizational responsibilities, and how inflation is addressed across project phases and integrated into budgeting and programming decisions.

Information to be gathered includes (but is not limited to): Types and frequency of inflationary adjustments applied in cost estimates (e.g., annual escalation, year-of-expenditure adjustments, material-specific indexes); Policies on incorporating inflation into estimates and phases of projects where inflation is incorporated (e.g., planning, programming, and plans, specifications, and estimates); Sources of inflation data and methods used for calculating or forecasting inflation in cost estimates (e.g., fixed rates, historical trends, econometric models); Tools or systems used to apply inflation in cost estimates (e.g., Excel, AASHTOWare, custom databases, or cost index calculators);
Responsibility and oversight for setting inflation assumptions; Approaches on how inflation is documented in estimate submittals and funding requests, including inflation on multi-year, phased, or alternative delivery projects; and Integration of inflation into State Transportation Improvement Programs (STIPs) or capital improvement plans.

Information will be gathered through a literature review, a survey of state DOTs, and follow-up interviews with selected DOTs for the development of case examples. Information gaps and suggestions for research to address those gaps will be identified.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2025 17:29:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2630485</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Selecting Appropriate Mitigation Methods for Soil Slope Failures: A Safety and Equity-Centric Approach
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2628205</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Soil slope failures pose significant risks to both human lives and infrastructure, necessitating effective mitigation strategies. This research proposal aims to investigate the selection of appropriate mitigation methods for soil slope failures, with a dual focus on safety and equity considerations.
The proposed study will employ a multidisciplinary approach, integrating geological, climatic, geotechnical engineering, and socioeconomic perspectives. It will begin with comprehensive review of existing mitigation methods, including slope flattening, stabilization, lightweight fill, and drainage. Subsequently, a systematic evaluation framework will be developed to assess the efficacy of these methods in terms of safety enhancement and equitable distribution of benefits.
Safety considerations will encompass factors such as slope stability and resilience to extreme weather events. Equity considerations will involve analyzing the distribution of risks and benefits among different socioeconomic groups, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable communities disproportionately affected by soil slope failures.
Taking advantage of the collected field slope data for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) geotechnical asset management system, computational modeling techniques will be employed to quantify the performance of various mitigation strategies under different scenarios. Additionally, stakeholder consultations will be conducted to incorporate local knowledge and community perspectives into the decision-making process.
The anticipated outcomes of this research include a set of guidelines for selecting optimal mitigation methods tailored to specific soil slope failure scenarios, taking into account both safety and equity. By integrating technical expertise with social equity principles, this study seeks to contribute to the development of more resilient and equitable disaster risk reduction strategies for soil slopes. This research will contribute to the knowledge and procedure for selecting optimal mitigation methods of soil slopes to address their safety and community equity. 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:23:07 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2628205</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluating the Economic and Safety Trade-offs of Interchange and Access Drive Separation Distances
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2627344</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The research project will evaluate whether the Iowa Department of Transportation’s (Iowa DOT) minimum separation standards between interchanges and first access points are overly restrictive and potentially detrimental to development opportunities around those interchanges. To achieve this, the project will utilize deep learning techniques to analyze high-resolution aerial photographs to identify interchanges on state-owned roadways, their first driveway access points, and the specific aspects of development status, such as the presence of commercial or residential buildings, vacant land, or agricultural use of the surrounding land. Crash data from the Iowa dataset will be examined to assess safety outcomes about these separation distances. A critical part of the analysis will involve evaluating the economic potential of these lands and estimating the impact of separation standards on land utilization and potential economic growth. 
In addition to state-owned interchanges, the study will identify non-interchange intersections with roadways with similar AADT levels, the number of lanes, if a median is present, and other relevant geometric features to access management. The closest access point will be determined for these intersections, mirroring the approach taken with the interchanges. The crash history for these locations will be retrieved to compare the safety performance of interchanges and non-interchange intersections directly.
This analysis, focusing on interchange and access point separation distances, will help isolate the effect of these separation standards on safety and development, controlling for traffic volume and other features. By examining interchange and non-interchange sites under similar conditions, the research will determine if the minimum separation distances at interchanges are justified or could be adjusted to better balance safety with economic development, potentially informing future policy decisions. The research will also determine the amount of developable land that could be available should the standards be relaxed.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:36:56 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2627344</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Decision Support for Dynamic Risks: Predicting Transportation Costs</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2625852</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant supply chain disruptions across many industries, with disruptions caused by both increases in demand, reductions in available supply, and changes in transportation availability. These supply disruptions hurt the US economy and disproportionately negatively impacted vulnerable populations. Initial research results on the project Decision Support for Dynamic Risks to Improve Supply Chain Resilience has underscored the importance of forecasting sources of risk in order to improve the management of transportation and supply chain systems. However, current research on demand forecasting relies on models that assume a stationary stochastic process. Such an assumption is not consistent with the rapid changes observed during a risk event such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This research seeks to continue prior work by partnering with industry to inform risk prediction models with real-world data. In particular, this research seeks to partner with companies in the transportation sector to develop methods to forecast transportation availability and transportation costs. The results of this research are anticipated to serve as inputs to a decision support tool to improve the management of transportation and supply chain networks in the event of systemic risk events.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2025 14:00:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2625852</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Quantum Computing and Quantum-Inspired Algorithms for Transportation Network Design</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2625857</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Quantum computing has the potential to transform the classical computing paradigm with improved efficiency for solving NP-hard combinatorial optimization problems modeled as a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) model, including those in transportation and supply chains. Although the quantum annealing (QA) algorithm is theoretically attractive, there is a lack of computational experience showing its superior performance over the traditional algorithms. The purpose of this project is to explore quantum computing and quantum-inspired algorithms on a class of transportation network design problems. We will develop and implement custom-designed algorithms to solve large-scale QUBO models for transportation network design, and evaluate their performance compared to that of QA. The model and algorithms are expected to provide optimal large-scale network design solutions efficiently. This project aligns with the DOT’s strategic goal of economic strength and global competitiveness, and supports MATC-TSE’s theme on transportation systems of the future.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2025 13:58:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2625857</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Leveraging Transportation Investments for Economic Development and Wealth Building</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2607895</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research will investigate past transportation system projects such as construction of the interstate highway system and construction or expansion of public transit facilities or port facilities, to see how transportation infrastructure can be leveraged to enhance a community’s economic empowerment and unlock wealth-building and economic development opportunities. By understanding how past projects impacted residents, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and local agencies can make future investments that are more equitable, promote economic development, and improve public health.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 08 Oct 2025 10:10:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2607895</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Freeway Corridor Economic Impact</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2606590</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The aim of this research is to provide a framework to better estimate the impacts of freeway corridor alternative projects by also considering mode, scale, land uses, community engagement practices and environmental impacts.

A planning-level evaluation tool will be developed to objectively estimate the economic impacts of alternatives considered for a freeway redesign. The tool will operationalize findings from the preceding research in terms of the three key elements of economic value: mobility benefits, developable land opportunity, and environmental impacts.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2025 15:21:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2606590</guid>
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