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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>
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    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of T-FAST for Aggregate Acceptance</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2458792</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of using the newly developed Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center ASR Susceptibility Test (T-FAST) for aggregate acceptance on the Approved Materials List (AML). Results from Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center showed T-FAST could produce accurate alkali-silica reaction (ASR) aggregate testing in as little as 21-days of age. Therefore, T-FAST may be very beneficial for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) to produce aggregate acceptance results in a short time frame. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 19 Nov 2024 09:21:50 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2458792</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Geotechnical Asset Management (GAM) – Phase II</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2419759</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A summary of the research objectives follows.
•	Grow Geotechnical Asset Management (GAM) in Louisiana.

•	Build/Rebuild a culvert inventory database that will benefit multiple DOTD sections.

•	Establish condition and consequence criteria for culverts for risk determinations and 
        maintenance decisions and priorities.

•	Develop a roadmap for GAM implementation related to PROTECT funding 
        implementation and potentially establishment of a Geotechnical Asset Manager.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 19 Aug 2024 16:01:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2419759</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Field Evaluation of Geophysical Applications for DOTD</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2111935</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research will evaluate the effectiveness of the Electrical Resistivity, Seismic Refraction, and Cross-hole Tomography geophysical methods in Louisiana soils and provide detailed descriptions of each method, including their applicability to geotechnical engineering, pros and cons, and cost of each method and required equipment. This research will determine whether the device/test method(s) actually improves confidence in normal operations, and whether the technology should be conducted in-house requiring consultants due to the intricacies of that particular method, or if the infrequent use and equipment cost are not feasible/efficient. The researchers will then develop recommendations and provide an action plan for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) to implement and utilize these geophysical methods in various geotechnical applications in Louisiana, such as mapping lithology and foundation integrity studies.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2023 12:01:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2111935</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Bridge Digital Twin for Enhancing Transportation Resilience and Asset Management</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1902374</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As the Region 6’s transportation network exponentially grows, each DOT requires seamless collaboration of relevant stakeholders with bridge infrastructure construction and maintenance data organized in an integrated, safe, trusted, and interoperable manner. Since bridges encompass several vulnerable components, they should be carefully managed, maintained, and
monitored by DOTs in each state. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), according to
Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968, requires all states to perform a biennial inspection for each
bridge to document its condition for maintaining, repairing, and rehabilitating bridges. The
Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development (LaDOTD) performs inspections on
nearly 13,000 bridges at least every two years including 16,387,706 square feet of bridge deck,
which ranks 4th in total bridge area in a nation. However, state DOTs have separately stored
and managed the data of numerous bridges as engineering design/drawing information, asset
maintenance data, and field inspection data. The primary issue is that these data and database
are not consistently connected and linked. 
Currently, since the majority of bridge inspection methods use printed checklists, their 
interpretation is labor intensive, subject to personal judgment, and prone to error. In addition,
because of a large number of bridges and consequently enormous amount of maintenance data
generated by periodic inspections, it is highly possible to encounter data loss and sparse data
management. In addition, even though the bridge management system (BMS), which helps
manage bridge design, construction, and maintenance data, has been widely used in DOTs, the
systems of Region 6 DOTs have heterogeneous bridge data formats and information structures
that prevent seamless collaboration and data sharing, providing the insufficient capability to fully
integrate and exchange bridge asset and maintenance data. This challenge has been caused
by the lack of integrated digital systems for integrating all bridge facility management data.
The primary objective of this proposed project is to explore and develop a digital twin prototype
for bridge management. Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) is the specialization of BIM to
bridge projects, but its use in transportation infrastructure is severely limited due to the lack of
standardization. Recently, there are an extensive effort such as the AASHTO Bridge Modeler
from different entities to develop, implement, standardize, and demonstrate an efficient and
robust digital data exchange protocol that could be used to digitally describe bridge engineering
information. If successful, this research outcomes will bring the new scientific knowledge on the
implications of the digital twin technology that bridge infrastructure and maintenance data using
the latest BrIM technology can be accumulated, managed, and analyzed in an integrated
platform. The revealed data exchange processes and their requirements of transportation
construction and maintenance can register new theoretical milestones in construction
management, infrastructure maintenance, and information science. In addition, this project will
provide the research community with the first bridge component detection method that is
capable of automatically creating as-built BrIM models from terrestrial laser scanning data.
Since bridge infrastructure systems are stretched over Region 6 areas, their integrated bridge
maintenance and inspection data management will be an invaluable asset for Region 6. In
addition, DOTs are responsible for performing inspections on all of all bridges at least every two
years, or more frequently if deemed necessary. If successful, the results from this study will
assist on the bridge inspection process conducted at least every two years, by reducing manual
work to save inspection time and cost, which will assure the timely inspection of the bridges
within Region 6 in case of severe broad damages caused by natural disaster.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 10 Jan 2022 14:38:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1902374</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Correlation of Rut Depths Measured by the Profilers of LTRC and DOTD PMS</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1765414</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this study is to develop a correlation of rut depths measured with Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC)’s profiler with a 5-point laser system and Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) pavement management system (PMS)’s profiler with a scanning laser system. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of pavement rutting data collection, compilation, and delivery by LTRC will be developed so that DOTD pavement engineers can use LTRC data together with PMS data to evaluate the pavement performance and conduct/support pavement management activities.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2021 10:27:12 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1765414</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluate the Impacts of Complete Streets Policy in Louisiana</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1765411</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary objective of this research project is to evaluate the impacts of the Complete Streets policy in Louisiana, including an assessment of changes made by department of transportation and development (DOTD) to advance implementation of the policy, and a comprehensive review of impacts to project scoping, delivery, and outcomes to-date.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2021 10:06:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1765411</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Prediction of Road Condition and Smoothness for Flexible and Rigid Pavements in Louisiana Using Neural Networks </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1745652</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this study is to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) application
system that can be used to estimate future pavement condition and smoothness
for Louisiana flexible and rigid pavements based on Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD)’s pavement management systems (PMS) and other related
pavement data collected. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2020 15:58:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1745652</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Assessment of LADOTD’s Friction Aggregate Source Variations through Laboratory and Accelerated Testing</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1671469</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The research objectives are to assess the PSV test variation through varying of coarse aggregate quarry source, shipment time, and test operator; to propose a new aggregate friction testing procedure for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD), which can be used for initial source approval as well as for predicting field friction performance of aggregates used in a wearing course mixture; to determine threshold friction design values (i.e. DFT and mean profile/texture depth values) for commonly-used wearing course mixtures in Louisiana; to validate and update the harmonization correlations obtained in the 
Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC) Project 12-5P between different pavement friction and texture testing devices, different types of test tires (ribbed and smooth), and at different testing speeds for typical Louisiana asphalt pavements; and to validate and update the relationship between Skid Number (SN) and International Friction Index (IFI) developed in LTRC Project 09-2B through both laboratory and field testing programs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 11 Dec 2019 11:29:12 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1671469</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of the Miniature Concrete Prism Test (MCPT) for use in LADOTD</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1656143</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this study is to evaluate the suitability of the Miniature Concrete Prism Test (MCPT) method to assess alkali-silica reactivity, and to determine the level of implementation and/or continued research required for adopting this test method.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2019 09:51:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1656143</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Mechanistic Characterization of Asphalt Overlays for Pavement Rehabilitation and Preservation using Pavement ME Approach</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1517486</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objectives of this research are to assess/evaluate the performance and condition of existing and prospective structural overlay sections utilizing Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development's (LADOTD's) locally calibrated, AASHTOWare Pavement Mechanistic-Empirical (ME) Design software; to address the existing issues regarding Pavement ME encountered by the LADOTD design engineers in their design practice, including the dysfunction of the interlayer of the flexible pavement design module, soil cement base and the excessive sensitivity of slab width of the rigid pavement design module; to evaluate the performance and existing trigger system of possible pavement preservation overlay strategies using Pavement ME Design approach; and to update local calibration factors used in an asphalt overlay design of Pavement ME and develop a set of optimum design inputs for both pavement rehabilitation and preservation asphalt overlays for the LADOTD implementation.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 28 Jun 2018 09:58:08 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1517486</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Application of Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Approach into RCC Pavement Thickness Design</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1513148</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objectives of this research are to investigate factors that may impact roller compacted concrete (RCC) pavement performance, including, but not limited to, construction practices, mix design proportioning, joint spacing, cracking mechanism and combined temperature and loading effects; quantify the impact of different axle load magnitude on RCC pavement damage in term of fatigue cracking and load equivalent factors; evaluate the cracking mechanism and joint performance of RCC pavement relative to the performance of thin (less than 8 inch thickness) RCC pavements over different stabilized base material; develop representative performance prediction curves suitable for use in an RCC thickness design procedure; and develop an M-E RCC pavement thickness design procedure for the LADOTD and compare the actual versus predicted RCC pavement performance using the developed design procedure.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 21 May 2018 09:27:36 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1513148</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Update the Pile Design by CPT Software to Incorporate Newly Developed Pile-CPT Methods and Other Design Features</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1464356</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary objectives of this research project are to collect all available pile load tests database from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) and the corresponding Cone Penetration Test (CPT) soundings and soil borings close to test pile locations, and perform a screening based on soil condition and failure criteria during the load test, to compare between the measured and estimated pile resistance of the collected pile load tests database for all direct CPT methods, and  perform statistical analyses to evaluate/rank the pile-CPT method(s) for use in Louisiana soil, to select, modify and/or develop a new pile-CPT method for use in the design of piles driven in Louisiana soils, re-calibration the resistance factor (ø) for all selected pile-CPT methods, to update the Louisiana Pile Design-Cone Penetration Test (LPD-CPT) software to incorporate the newly selected pile-CPT prediction methods, to update the “LPD-CPT” software to incorporate the effect of scour on soil properties and CPT data, and hence the long-term pile resistance and the pile set-u[ empirical equations into updated “LPD-CPT” software, incorporate the calibrated resistance factors (ø) for pile-CPT methods and pile set-up into the update “LPD-CPT” software in order to design the pile according to Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) design methodology, and update the “LPD-CPT” software to be able to generate synthetic CPT profiles for all piles in the project.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Apr 2017 10:51:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1464356</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Geotechnical Design Manual</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1427336</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of this research project is to create a Geotechnical Design Manual that documents the current processes utilized by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) Section 67, Geotechnical Design Group with explanation, hyperlinks and references to the supporting policy, design methodology, test procedures, and project development, coordination, and management.  The manual will include at least the following topics:  Table of Contents; Project Coordination Process; Consultant Services and Review; Subsurface Investigation Guidelines; Field and Laboratory Testing Procedures; Material Description-Classification-Logging; Geo Mechanics; Geotechnical load factor and resistance design (LFRD) Design; Geotechnical Resistance Factors; Geotechnical Performance Limits; LA Geology Seismicity; Shallow Foundations; Deep Foundations; Embankments; Earth Retaining Structures; Ground Improvement; Geosynthetic Design; Geotechnical Reports; Plan Preparation; Specifications and Special Provisions; Construction quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC); Construction Monitoring and Instrumentation; Geotechnical Software; Geotechnical Design Section Forms; mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) Walls; Reinforced Soil Slopes; Geotechnical Template Plans; and Project Specifications.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 24 Oct 2016 12:37:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1427336</guid>
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