<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="https://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
  <channel>
    <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" />
    <description></description>
    <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>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>Drone-in-a-Box: Enhancing Public Safety and Environmental Monitoring on Cape Cod</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2775052</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Cape Cod, a popular tourist destination, faces unique challenges due to its geographic isolation, seasonal population fluctuations, and increasing environmental concerns. This research proposes leveraging drone-in-a-box (DiB) technology, an autonomous drone system with automated launch, landing, and charging capabilities, to address these challenges. DiB systems offer persistent aerial surveillance and rapid response capabilities, making them ideal for various applications in remote and dynamic environments.

The research team for this project includes representatives from 
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Aeronautics, MassAutonomy, and Endicott College.  Endicott College will identify appropriate team members based on the expertise needed for each aspect of the project.

This project is significantly strengthened by the collaboration and support of the Wellfleet Police and Fire Departments, who will provide valuable expertise, operational insights, and access to critical resources.

The objectives of this project are to: (1) Evaluate the technical feasibility of deploying DiB systems in the Cape Cod environment, considering factors such as weather conditions, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, and communication infrastructure.
(2) Assess the operational effectiveness of DiB systems in each use case, measuring improvements in traffic flow, emergency response times, and shark detection accuracy.
(3) Analyze the cost-benefit of DiB implementation compared to traditional methods. 
(4) Investigate public perception and acceptance of drone technology for public safety and environmental monitoring.
The project will yield data and associated reports detailing the effectiveness of the use of drone-in-a-box (DiB) technology, an autonomous drone system with automated launch, landing, and charging capabilities, to address these challenges.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:40:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2775052</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluating Mowing Practices for Pollinator Habitat Enhancement: Highway Vegetation Management and Its Impact on Endangered Polinator</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2724815</link>
      <description><![CDATA[ORS 634.045 requires several state agencies, including Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), to maintain and revise a bee pollinator safety plan to educate the public and increase pollinator habitat. It is not clear to ODOT how to document habitat on their properties, if current mowing practices enhance or reduce pollinator habitat, and how to prioritize areas for compliance of conservation practices. The US DOT has guidelines for vegetation management for right-of-ways (ROWs), but there have been contrasting results for key practices, such as mowing and efforts at establishing pollinator-attractive plants have not resulted in long lasting habitat and may result in costly landscaping. Finally, there are concerns that the habitats near roadway locations with vehicles and environmental pollutants may result low mortality rates to pollinators. Consequently, it is unclear how ODOT routine mowing practices, which covers an estimated 20,000 acres annually, enhances the vegetation that is important to threatened or endangered pollinators. This research seeks to identify mowing practices that encourage these plants and to help meet protection targets without increased costs.
The research will study pollinator activity in three geographic regions and develop “high benefit” pollinator vegetation management practices with a neutral (or lessened) cost to ODOT. The research will be conducted over three seasons and have three parts: (1) In-field vegetation documentation using new app and method analysis; (2) Cost-Benefit Analysis; and (3) Feasibility analysis. 
The in-field tasks include selecting 27 site locations on ODOT secondary or tertiary roads, with appropriate ROWs, across three ODOT regions (i.e., 9 per region).  The study will have three levels of mowing intensity: high (at least once per year), medium (once every other year) and low (less than once every two years). Each location will be monitored for plant diversity and density and bee pollinator activity during the appropriate seasons – with particular measurement directly before and after mowing. The research will determine if mowing intensity and date of mowing influences the density of plants of highest value to pollinators by: (1) relating plants found to Melittflora records filtered for the region; and (2) calculating the richness of bee species found at each site. The research will also use historic estimates of average seasonal traffic volume at each site as a covariate to investigate the impact of traffic on the diversity of the bee community for a given plant community. Site characteristics will also be documented (e.g. distance from the roadway). The cost-benefit analysis will focus on detailing normal vs pollinator staff/resource costs, timing for mowing, and comparing to outcomes of high pollinator activity. The feasibility analysis will compare normal maintenance resource availability and use compared to recommended optimal mowing for pollinator benefits.

Finally, the project would result in a regional pocket guide of the most important plants for pollinators that vegetation management crews will encounter, as well as new continuing education trainings for vegetation management staff. This information could be used in future construction (or Maintenance) locations to identify plant species that are both of high value to pollinators and known to persist under ROW conditions that could help inform how to modify seed blends following road construction.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:39:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2724815</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Advancing Pollinator Habitat Monitoring through Remote Sensing on Nebraska Roadsides</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2689394</link>
      <description><![CDATA[To meet monitoring and reporting requirements under the Monarch Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA), Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) must collect consistent data on milkweed stem density and nectar-plant cover across extensive roadside networks. Current field-based approaches, though effective, are resource-intensive, limited in spatial coverage, and require a specialized level of biological expertise. NDOT needs a scalable and cost-effective remote sensing strategy that can meet CCAA requirements. Furthermore, NDOT must understand the costs and benefits to applying this technology in-house or via external contract, and how the products could be applied to offer NDOT versatile imagery and data outputs that can support broader environmental review needs, planning, and maintenance decisions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:41:32 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2689394</guid>
    </item>
    <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>Cost-Benefit Analysis of Preemptive Weather-Related Road Closures</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2689390</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The decision to close a road and disrupt the flow of commerce and the traveling public results in significant costs. While maintaining roadway access is always the most preferred option, there may be scenarios, such as a multi-vehicle weather-related crashes, that induce a closure regardless of best efforts. Further, these crash scenarios place additional risk on the safety of transportation personnel, law enforcement, and emergency first responders. The resultant crash clean-up and recovery of damaged vehicles may further impede maintenance operations for a far longer duration than that of a proactive closure. The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) and the transportation community as a whole presently face unprecedented challenges with staffing shortages, financial uncertainty, and increasingly variable weather conditions. As such, the ability to determine when, where, and for how long to strategically close a road to maximize safety, minimize cost, and promote overall efficiency and reliability across the transportation network is paramount. The proposed project seeks to provide NDOT with quantitative metrics for meteorological trigger thresholds for road closures and a cost-benefit analysis of such decisions. This will allow NDOT to make consistent, justifiable decisions about when to close (and re-open) roads during extreme weather conditions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:24:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2689390</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Quantifying the Flood Resilience Value of Water Quality Best Management Practices on Vermont Roads</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2689762</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Transportation networks have been recognized as contributors to water quality impairment by discharging stormwater, sediment, and nutrients to receiving waters. These contributions can occur through chronic inputs of water and pollutants washed from the road surface during storm events or through episodic and often catastrophic road failure by mass wasting or fluvial erosion at structure crossings during extreme storms. Research studies in forested areas of the eastern United States, and elsewhere, including those conducted by members of this project team, have documented rates of erosion and mass wasting from low volume roads and impacts on water quality. Our previous research has also documented the importance of unpaved roads on water quality impairment and quantified the effectiveness of best management practices (BMPs) in reducing sediment and phosphorus contributions.
The Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load for Vermont Segments of Lake Champlain (a.k.a. TMDL) called for reductions in phosphorus contributions from developed lands, motivating a need to address stormwater runoff from the state’s transportation network. Statewide efforts to achieve the reductions required by the TMDL led to the development of the Municipal Roads General Permit (MRGP) in 2018 and subsequent revisions. Recent extreme flooding events across the state, in particular the July 10-11, 2023 North Country Storm event and associated Great Vermont Flood which will be the focus of this project, in addition to subsequent flood events in December 2023 and July 2024, have resulted in the need for emergency repairs of damaged transportation infrastructure, and revealed the need to clearly communicate the cost benefit of improved stormwater management on the transportation network. In past research projects funded by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and the Vermont Agency of Transportation, we conducted retrospective analyses (i.e. a review of project planning documents and site visits to assess existing conditions) of transportation stormwater upgrades funded by the state’s Better Roads and Grants in Aid programs and found that the BMPs installed through these grants were highly robust to extreme flood events. This project therefore aims to expand on the research teams’ prior work to assess the life cycle cost-benefit of BMP adoption with a focus on the BMPs required by the Municipal General Roads Permit (MRGP), Sections 1 and 2 of the VT Road and Bridge Standards for municipal roads, and VTrans Drainage Management Standards for State roads. The data and results of this project may be used to update VT AOT’s Transportation Resilience Planning Tool or other mitigation practices.
To facilitate this work, we will form a technical advisory committee (TAC) composed of VTrans project champions (Todd Eaton), Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC) staff engaged in the implementation of the Municipal Roads General Permit, members of at least one Regional Planning Commission, and others identified by VTtrans. The role of the TAC will be to help guide study design, facilitate the use of existing data, leverage on-going implementation of erosion control projects, and provide context for agency needs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:46:01 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2689762</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>Best Practices for TxDOT Constructability Reviews (CRs)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652071</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The research team will provide a framework to minimize project issues through improved Constructability Reviews (CRs). The research team will develop a cost/benefit analysis to justify CRs on projects of all scopes. The research team will develop a Guidebook of Best Practices will be developed to help the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) improve construction plan quality and minimize project durations and costs. The Guidebook will discuss using knowledgeable construction personnel to review, ensuring adequate time for reviewing, ensuring clear and relevant comments that designers consider and implement, and ensuring that new lessons are continuously communicated back to design teams.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 09 Jan 2026 16:26:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652071</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Performance and Cost-Benefit Analysis of Field Applied Stains for Highway Infrastructure</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2643443</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research tests the use of on-site (in the field) infrastructure treatments, to address the problem of delays and cost when guardrail, signposts, and other infrastructure must be sent
to a factory for treatment before installation. If on-site treatment is effective, it can save time and money, and improve safety by minimizing the use of temporary solutions. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2025 14:10:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2643443</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Benefit-Cost Methodology for Behavioral Highway Safety Countermeasures</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2611416</link>
      <description><![CDATA[States are facing increasingly difficult decisions on budget expenditures and programs. Currently there is no nationally recognized methodology to assist the states in allocating safety resources among behavioral safety countermeasures. NCHRP Report 622:  Effectiveness of Behavioral Highway Safety Countermeasures created a classification scheme to estimate the effectiveness of countermeasures. A benefit-cost methodology would assist states in making investment decisions concerning behavioral safety countermeasures and provide opportunities to compare the value of behavioral and engineering countermeasures side-by-side. NCHRP Report 622 identified 34 countermeasures that have been “proven” effective, 54 countermeasures whose effectiveness is rated as “unlikely/uncertain or unknown,” and 13 countermeasures believed “likely” to work but for which evidence of effectiveness is not conclusive. Research is needed to develop a widely usable methodology to determine benefit and cost for behavioral countermeasures. Additional research is also needed to advance the state of knowledge on the effectiveness of behavioral countermeasures that are “likely” to work.
 
OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this research are to:
 
(a) Develop a benefit-cost methodology for behavioral highway safety countermeasures that can be used by state and local entities. The methodology should provide a quantitative analytical approach that uses clearly defined criteria to determine the value of the countermeasure. It should also include an approach for isolating the effects of individual countermeasures. Costs should include specific state and local program implementation costs, other costs borne by government, and societal costs (e.g., private medical costs, lost wages, reduced productivity).
 
(b) Apply the methodology to at least three proven (known effectiveness) countermeasures to demonstrate that the methodology is effective and widely usable.  The proven countermeasures should come from the areas of occupant protection, alcohol/drug impairment, and speed. Revise the methodology as needed.
 
(c) Once the benefit-cost methodology is successfully used (objective “b”), apply it to three to five of the countermeasures rated as “likely” to be effective (see NCHRP Report 622).  This is a two-part process: (1) quantify the effectiveness and ( 2) apply the methodology to determine the benefit-cost of the countermeasure.
 
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 21 Oct 2025 15:51:19 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2611416</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Traffic Signal Non-Intrusive Detection Technology Assessment and Comparison</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2601431</link>
      <description><![CDATA[North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has been using in-pavement (in-ground) magnetic induction loops to detect vehicles and operate traffic signals for decades as have many other state DOTs. Given the high number of signals in NC there are hundreds of thousands of loops that must be maintained for efficient signal operation and coordination. Many non-intrusive (above-ground or out-of-pavement) vehicle detection systems are compatible with NCDOT's signal controllers and can provide the same operation-critical inputs to the controllers as can magnetic induction loops. Yet they have numerous benefits enumerated herein.

The motivation for this study is to assess the costs of non-intrusive vehicle detection systems so that NCDOT can compare their costs and the value of the benefits they provide to the cost and benefits of magnetic induction loops. The goal is to determine how to quantify the various benefits and costs. The ITS and Traffic Signals Section has identified radar and cameras as the most promising non-intrusive detection technologies. The Signals Management Program Plan update now identifies the need to make a dedicated study of the costs, benefits, and return on investment of these technologies. Their goal is to identify specific technologies that meet specifications and to determine whether a targeted or blanket shift to those technologies is the optimal use of Department financial and time resources.

The purpose of this research is to assess NCDOT traffic signal detection technology to determine if it should evolve from the current magnetic induction loops to a technology based on radar or cameras (so that signal system performance is maintained or enhanced) and determine the cost of transitioning partially or fully. This study to answer the following questions: (1) “what technology is most well suited to NCDOT's needs?" (2) “what is the cost of the transition?" (3) “what is the return on investment? (4) “how would the transition occur?" This study will explore whether or not used by any division within NC and be realistically and efficiently implemented.

The lessons learned from the assessment and analysis will be combined with the experiences of other NC divisions and with knowledge gained from the literature to formulate one or more potential strategies to meet NCDOT needs. In doing so, NCDOT may improve both its overall financial decision making and the management of this critical roadway asset, resulting in overall cost savings and safety enhancement.

The proposal articulated below first introduces the context of the research need statement by providing a background. The background describes the nature of the NC traffic signal system. It then provides quantification data. The introduction also addresses the technology of vehicle detection systems and describes those that are most prominent. For each detection technology a table provides examples of manufactured products followed by a brief assessment of each technology.

The research needs and objectives are stated next and are followed by a literature review. This introductory literature review illustrates a number of important references that aid in understanding what others have done to address the questions mentioned above. The research tasks are then enumerated in significant detail. The significance of the proposed work (and the execution of the enumerated tasks) is stated. The research products are articulated next and a detailed discussion of the implementation plan is presented. That is followed by a cost benefit analysis which is a major part of the proposed work.

Finally, the project schedule is presented in two parts. The first part focuses on major milestones. These are a point in time. In one sense, they act as deadlines. The second schedule articulates the research tasks as activities. These span a longer duration over time.​]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:48:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2601431</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Benefit-Cost Analysis of Roundabouts to Support Long Range Investment Policy</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2594028</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Despite significant investments and successful use of roundabouts throughout the state, Oregon currently lacks clear evaluation of the benefits and costs of roundabouts tailored to the state’s needs. The states of New York and Virginia have adopted a “roundabout first” policy, identifying roundabouts as the preferred design for intersections where feasible because of benefits to lifecycle system cost, safety, and traffic flow with greenhouse gas emission reduction benefits. However, Oregon lacks a systematic evaluation including equity concerns to support policy development.
Traffic signals on the state highway system are crucial to the safety, operation, and management of the Oregon highway system. Oregon has 1,480 traffic signals, 84% are owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). A large proportion are nearing the end of their life. Some signals are aging faster due to environmental issues, such as coastal salt air and weather. Signal operations are key to addressing safety, impacting autos, trucks, bikes and peds. As connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) are introduced into the Oregon fleet, ODOT will be working to develop communication capabilities between CAVs and signals, which will require expanded investment over time and increasing maintenance. As ODOT implements more roundabouts (RABs) on the state system, they are seeing improvements in traffic performance, improved safety, and reduced maintenance costs over time. Other agencies across the United States are beginning to see evidence of reduced cost of long-range maintenance. This begs the question whether ODOT should establish a policy to move away from investing in signal replacement and establish a long-term strategy implementing roundabouts based on comprehensive lifecycle costs and benefits.
Lifecycle costs of intersection management vary by design. In general, signals are less expensive to put into place initially, require ongoing maintenance and replacement costs, and include severe-injuries to property-damage-only crash costs. Roundabouts cost more to put into place initially, require relatively low maintenance costs and involve fewer crashes and reduced severity. ODOT’s forecast budget falls far short of meeting investment needs, especially for maintenance and preservation. This means more than ever ODOT must be strategic in making investment decisions and consider comprehensive lifecycle costs when choosing projects that provide the best return on investment for the state transportation system. Reducing lifecycle costs would help ODOT make progress toward good stewardship of public resources.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 28 Aug 2025 16:17:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2594028</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Guide for Meeting Current and Future Airport Utility Needs</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2588330</link>
      <description><![CDATA[No abstract provided.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2025 10:19:33 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2588330</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Determine the Optimum Dosage of Rejuvenators Based on the RAP Contents as well as the PG Grade of Recovered RAP Binder</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2582992</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study aims to understand the interactions of rejuvenators with reclaimed asphalt avement (RAP) binders and thereby find a cost-benefit way to improve durability against wear and tear of RAP asphalt mixtures and pavements.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2025 16:45:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2582992</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Quantifying and Benchmarking the Economy and Durability of North Carolina Pavement Infrastructure</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2563767</link>
      <description><![CDATA[North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is committed to constructing and maintaining an economical, durable transportation system that provides the desired service over the lifecycle at an efficient cost.  Additionally, NCDOT has committed to improving its resilience.  Much investment has been made by NCDOT and other agencies to support identification of strategies to improve the economy and durability of new construction and repair, rehabilitation, and reconstruction projects and to increase its resilience through hardening strategies.  Need still exists, however, to develop guidance and tools to support decision-making and to justify investment in technologies and approaches that improve economy, durability, and resilience while also lowering the impact of infrastructure on the state’s natural resources. This project will use Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)-accepted approaches to quantify benefits/impacts and benchmark the current level of durability and economy of typical NCDOT projects and options that could provide improved durability and/or resilience, providing insight into the areas where the improvements could be readily achieved and where investment can be made to support mid-range and longer-term improvements. 
Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) will be performed in accordance with FHWA-supported approaches for “typical” design and construction approaches and for approaches using technologies to improve resilience and lower the impacts of several types of asphalt and concrete pavement sections.  Analysis will include alternatives used for aggregate, stabilized soil and bases, asphalt surface layers, concrete surface layers, and both asphalt and concrete overlays. Effort will be made to quantify cost benefits and other impacts to assist NCDOT in (1) identifying potential projects for pilot programs, (2) justifying approaches and investment in emerging technologies, (3) justifying investment in pavement hardening strategies to improve resilience, and (4) soliciting funding for improvements to vulnerable infrastructure and areas that are in need of reconstruction or repair due to adverse events. 
Pilot projects will offer the opportunity to evaluate emerging products or design approaches, longer-life or lower-impact materials, and potentially resilience hardening strategies.  As part of this study, the research team will prepare tools, training, and technology transfer products for projects using pilot project funds, and will engage a range of stakeholders (NCDOT, industry, consulting partners, material suppliers) in the use of technologies proven by NCDOT-supported research (and other research as appropriate) to improve economy, durability, and/or resilience. Targeted technologies will be incorporated into projects as either design or construction approaches for projects currently in the development or design stage, project special provisions for projects already let/bid, or both. 
The end products of this work will include data that benchmarks where NCDOT infrastructure as currently designed, constructed, and maintained currently stands in terms of economy, durability, and resilience, and an improved understanding of what strategies can be readily integrated into practice.  Opportunities for improvements will be identified for asphalt and concrete pavement systems, along with cost analysis to support application for funding for proactive improvements and recovery.  Objectives and activities to support mid-range and longer-range advancements will support future research and implementation activities.  Products will include guidance to support NCDOT’s use of pilot project funds for asphalt and concrete pavement projects, as well as guidance to support stakeholders in these projects.  For pilot projects providing sufficient data, a report will be prepared that quantifies the economic, social, and environmental benefits of the project, as compared to typical approaches.  For other pilot projects not achieving sufficient data to support LCCA and/or LCA, the effort invested into the project will be documented, along with means to best document the remainder of the project to support later analysis.  Stakeholders involved in the pilot projects will gain valuable experience in deploying these technologies and approaches, and data obtained from pilot project efforts can be leveraged to support future initiatives.   Best practices and lessons learned can be transferred to policy, specifications, or practice as appropriate.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 13 Jun 2025 12:24:08 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2563767</guid>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>