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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <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>Investigate Wisconsin Bridge Scour in Mobile (Alluvial) Sand-Bed Rivers</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2671987</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary objective of this research is to enhance scour prediction accuracy for bridges in Wisconsin’s mobile sand-bed rivers by developing region-specific scour envelope curves. The proposed study will address the limitations of existing scour prediction methods by incorporating Wisconsin’s unique hydraulic, geomorphic, and sedimentological conditions. By refining existing scour envelope methodologies and tailoring them to Wisconsin’s river systems, this research aims to improve scour estimation accuracy, reduce unnecessary costs, and enhance long-term bridge safety and maintenance planning. In order to provide guidance for determining the probable depth of scour under various hydraulic, geological, and structural conditions, FHWA developed Hydraulic Engineering Circular No. 18 (HEC-18): Evaluating Scour at Bridges (Richardson & Davis, 2012). HEC-18 has served as a technical standard for bridge scour analysis in the United States. It establishes a comprehensive methodology for evaluating scour at bridge foundations, including pier scour, contraction scour, and abutment scour. Additional documents are also available, including HEC-20: Stream Stability at Highway Structures (Lagasse, Schall, et al., 2001) and HEC-23: Bridge Scour and Stream Instability Countermeasures (Lagasse, Zevenbergen, et al., 2001).These documents are also adopted by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) as the standard procedures for bridge scour analysis. To address the limitations of HEC-18, many state DOTs (e.g., Minnesota, Iowa, New Jersey, South Carolina) have developed regional modifications or supplemental procedures to enhance scour prediction models. While many state DOTs have developed regional modifications for HEC-18, or regional scour envelope curves, Wisconsin has not yet established a dedicated set of scour envelope curves tailored to its river systems. This study seeks to refine scour prediction in Wisconsin’s rivers by supplementing HEC-18’s methodology with locally derived scour envelope curves, improving the accuracy of scour predictions and optimizing bridge foundation designs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 11:26:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2671987</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Automatic Boundary Detection and Change Analysis Using Static and Dynamic Imagery</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2616823</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project aims to develop an automated segmentation and boundary detection system capable of identifying geometric features and changes in river boundaries using advanced image processing techniques on satellite imagery, digital photographs, and videos. Current aerial remote sensing and data collection techniques use LiDAR, photogrammetry, or other methods that require significant time and computational power to assess and identify key features of interest. Therefore, rapid or real-time monitoring of dynamic conditions such as flooding is difficult or impossible. By combining a fast segmentation algorithm with novel edge detection and artificial intelligence (AI)-based classification methods to analyze boundary changes, the proposed system will allow for temporal monitoring of river conditions and adjacent infrastructure, and aid in the detection of any deviations from established boundary norms. While this system has numerous potential use cases, the main focus of this research will be the creation and training of a system that can identify and quantify a number of key features used for asset management, flood monitoring, and disaster response associated with levees and adjacent transportation infrastructure.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2025 14:39:56 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2616823</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Community Resilience in Emergency Advanced Transport Education- The Next Frontier</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2536173</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Community Resilience in Emergency Advanced Transport Education -The Next Frontier project’s goal is to assist the State of Mississippi create education, training, and preparedness for transportation emergency response for professionals and communities regarding weather considerations. Moreover, the Community Resilience in Emergency Advanced Transport Education -The Next Frontier project will help local Emergency Management professionals, educators, public and private organizations, and the community increase preparedness and response initiatives through advanced disaster simulation technology training and mobile app development. This will enhance discussion-making and critical thinking and help to decrease response time when weather is a major factor during an emergency transportation event.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Apr 2025 14:45:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2536173</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Beaver Dam Analogs Study</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417288</link>
      <description><![CDATA[At several locations along the I-25 South Gap Project, Carpenter Creek and East Plum Creek cross or run adjacent to I-25. To regenerate riparian habitat that supports Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse (PMJM), CDOT installed 8 Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) near the Spruce Mountain Road/I25 intersection (E. Plum Creek) and 7 BDAs adjacent to I25 near East Noe Road (Carpenter Creek).
   The installation of BDAs provides an opportunity to understand the value of BDAs for regenerating habitat along streams, particularly PMJM habitat. If BDAs are a viable PMJM habitat regeneration tool, they may be an an effective method for recovering PMJM populations. Connecting PMJM habitat and populations, by restoring degraded riparian habitats, is a priority for recovering PMJM and delisting the subspecies from the Endangered Species Act.
   The goal of this Study is to conduct sampling of the number of PMJM in, and adjacent to BDAs installed by CDOT, to determine the level of PMJM use prior to, and after BDA installation. Recommendations will  be made for the use of BDAs on future habitat restoration and PMJM mitigation projects, if applicable.  
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Aug 2024 17:30:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417288</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of a Real-Time Flood Forecasting System for Railroad Crossings in the Midwest</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2342030</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Due to its characteristics, the railroad transportation system is highly susceptible to floods occurring in channels of different sizes. Historically, floods have caused operational delays and cost increments affecting rail lines and bridges. A significant portion of the described flood alterations take place in crossings of relatively small rivers, usually not included or not well represented in the national flood forecast system hampering logistics and increasing costs. Therefore, the system requires a flood forecast system able to represent most of the rivers allowing to make better-informed decisions.      ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 19 Feb 2024 16:52:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2342030</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Hydrologic Modeling Framework for Assessing Future Riverine Flood Risk of Critical Transportation Infrastructure</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2255635</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary goal of this proposal is to develop a high-resolution distributed hydrologic model for the state of New Jersey. The model will provide space-time information of streamflow during flood events and will be calibrated/validated against United States Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow stations. The calibrated model will run for various Global Climate Model scenarios to simulate flood response in the future. Analysis of future flood simulations will be carried out to identify “hot spots” of future riverine flood risk.

The intended outcome of the project is a distributed hydrologic model setup for the state of New Jersey, which will be used for several other studies/applications related to flood warning and flood risk analysis.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 25 Sep 2023 18:09:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2255635</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Modernize the Assessment of River Crossings</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2093159</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The project intends to supplement guidance from American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 1133, and to expand and improve the capabilities of existing tools available to assess and monitor pipeline riverine crossings. Additionally, the project aims to develop and adapt risk screening tools through advances in engineering analysis that are field validated.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 03 Jan 2023 13:53:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2093159</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Bridge Avoidance in River-based Drone Autonomy</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2087441</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research aims to create open-source autonomous drone software to transform rivers into 21st century drone highways.  The research team will explore vision-based navigation on ultra-light drones, with offloading of compute-intensive processing over wireless links to ground-based infrastructure.  A major challenge is the presence of numerous bridges, whose large metallic structures distort wireless signals and lead to unreliable GPS-based navigation.  Overcoming this will be the focus of the team's research.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 21 Dec 2022 11:57:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2087441</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Practices. Topic 54-09. Hydraulic Engineering Practices for Construction and Temporary Facilities in Streams and Rivers</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1953240</link>
      <description><![CDATA[State DOTs undertake hundreds of construction projects each year that affect, and are affected by, streams and rivers. These include replacement and rehabilitation of bridges and culverts, as well as new construction and rehabilitation of highways in stream corridors. The hydraulic design standards for the completed bridge, culvert or highway are well established. However, there are elements of risk involved in any temporary occupancy of a waterway for construction, including: personal safety risks, economic risks to the transportation agency and contractor from delays or damage, and environmental risk from unanticipated flooding. These risks are associated with a wide range of temporary structures used for facilitating construction of permanent structures in streams and rivers. Some  states may have well-defined policies and methods to address hydraulic considerations for temporary facilities, but others may address these issues on a case-by-case basis.  
The objective of this synthesis is to document state DOT hydraulic and hydrologic engineering considerations and practices for design and construction of temporary facilities in streams and rivers. 
Information for this study was gathered through a literature review, a survey of state DOTs, and follow-up interviews with selected DOTs. Case examples of four state DOTs provide additional information on hydraulic and hydrologic engineering considerations and practices for design and construction of temporary facilities in streams and rivers.
 
Daniel Che of Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, collected and synthesized the information and wrote the report, supported by Issam Khoury, Kevin White, Farzana Rahman Reshma, and Mohammad Hashim Pashtun of Ohio University. The members of the topic panel are acknowledged on page iv. This synthesis is an immediately useful document that records engineering considerations and practices that were acceptable within the limitations of the knowledge available at the time of its preparation.
 
The completed report can be found at NCHRP Synthesis Report 619.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 17 May 2022 09:46:58 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1953240</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Real-time Flood Forecasting for River Crossings – Phase V
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1945935</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As part of an on-going effort to develop a generic prototype of a flood-forecasting model that is transferable, reliable, and provides actionable information to other locations around the Midwest to provide monitoring and forecasting flood potential at critical infrastructure points, such as bridges, where streamflow gauges are not available, the research team has outlined a series of new activities to achieve their goal.  The team will continue developing a real-time web-based visualization platform to display the model predictions that was initiated under phase I and II Mid-America Transportation Center (MATC) grants.  The efforts will now include a Technology Transfer aspect by interfacing the work with a MATC funded research project at University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL) lead by Prof. Tirthankar Roy that aims to implement a snow model for the HLM model. The team will provide a fully functional real-time forecasting system for the Elkhorn river basin in northeast Nebraska, and a corresponding web interface for monitoring an evaluation of forecasts. This work is the first step towards evaluating the feasibility of implementation of the tools outside the state of Iowa. In addition, the team will implement data-assimilation techniques that will help them reduce the difference between model estimates and observations at USGS location and provide metrics of improvement of model predictions. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 30 Apr 2022 11:35:22 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1945935</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Predicting Critical Shear Stress of Cohesive Sediments/Soils in Riverbeds</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1902211</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In 2019 K-State completed a successful two-year study on creating a new equation for predicting the critical shear stress of cohesive soils around bridge abutments (KSU 18-5 / 21-01). Prior to this study, Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) either had to make overly conservative assumptions or send samples for erosion testing, which are costly. Critical shear stress is a soil parameter needed to estimate bridge scour and erosion countermeasures for design. KSU 18-5 / 21-01 focused on samples in the overbank (floodplain) because erosion/scour around the abutments was a priority to KDOT, difficult to predict, and because sampling in the overbanks was a priority in developing the shear stress prediction equation. However, now that KDOT has a new critical shear stress equation, it should be validated for sediments in the riverbeds. Alternatively, another design equation may be required for riverbed sediments. The bridge scour estimating methods in HEC-18 include different design equations for abutment, contraction, and pier scour so it would not be unreasonable to have a different equation for riverbed sediments.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 07 Jan 2022 12:17:19 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1902211</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Real-Time Flood Forecasting for River Crossing - Phase IV</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1868899</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As part of the project team's on-going effort to develop a generic prototype of a flood-forecasting model that is transferable, reliable, and provides actionable information to other locations around the Midwest to provide monitoring and forecasting flood potential at critical infrastructure points, such as bridges, where streamflow gauges are not available, the project team have outlined a series of new activities to achieve their goal.  The project team will continue developing a real-time web-based visualization platform to display the model predictions that was initiated under their phase I and II MATC grants.  The team's efforts will now include a Technology Transfer aspect by interfacing their work with a MATC funded research project at UNL lead by Prof. Tirthankar Roy that aims to implement a snow model for the HLM model. The project team will provide a fully functional real-time forecasting system for the Elkhorn river basin in northeast Nebraska, and a corresponding web interface for monitoring an evaluation of forecasts. This work is the first step towards evaluating the feasibility of implementation of the project team's tools outside the state of Iowa. In addition, the team will implement data-assimilation techniques that will help them reduce the difference between model estimates and observations at USGS location and provide metrics of improvement of model predictions. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2021 17:06:22 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1868899</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Real-Time Flood Forecasting for River Crossings – Phase III</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1685058</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As part of an on-going effort to develop a generic prototype of a flood forecasting model that is transferable, reliable, and provides actionable information to other locations around the Midwest to provide monitoring and forecasting flood potential at critical infrastructure points, such as bridges, where streamflow gauges are not available, the research team has outlined a series of new activities to achieve this goal. The team will continue developing a real-time webbased visualization platform to display the model predictions that was initiated under phase I and II MATC grants. The efforts will now focus on applying the methodologies and tools that the team has developed to test the offline implementation of the forecasting system in the four states that support MATC. The information collected during the Phase I and II of the project will be used to test their ability to provide a reliable real-time forecasting model for the MATC region. In addition, the team will implement data-assimilation techniques that will help them reduce the difference between model estimates and observations at USGS location and provide metrics of improvement of model predictions. The team expects that the combination of flexible web tools and flexible model parameterization techniques will allow them to provide a prototype framework for efficient and realistic technology transfer to the DOTs sponsoring our work.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2020 16:36:32 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1685058</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Gravel-Bed River Assessment Tool for Improved Resiliency of Engineering Design</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1632288</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In Washington State, stream channels are becoming more dynamic – especially in the vicinity of gravel-bed rivers. Federal, state, tribal and private roads are increasingly compromised or destroyed due to progressively more dynamic channel processes. A river’s bedload (sediment transported along the channel bed) drives how rivers move into – or away from – road infrastructure. In order to design durable roads and bridges, high quality information is needed on how the natural material in the river system will move and deposit in the vicinity of road infrastructure. Widely available methods for assessing channel dynamics and hazards are based on sand-bed rivers, like the Mississippi River, that do not apply to gravel-bed rivers found throughout the United States. There is a need for a gravel-bed river assessment tool that accounts for changes in gravel-bed rivers from glacial melt and extreme flooding. In this pilot, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) proposes to develop practical guidance and methods for assessing bedload transport in gravel-bed rivers for more resilient road infrastructure. This guidance will inform engineering design, hazard assessment, and maintenance strategies of roads along or near gravel-bed rivers. Other federal and state agencies support the pilot and are willing to assist in the development and review process. WSDOT anticipates that US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon DOT, Caltrans and other public works agencies will use the gravel-bed assessment tool developed by this pilot project. This pilot will consist of three parts: 1. A technical workshop to define the framework, goals, and criteria for developing the guidance and case studies. 2. Data collection and case study development. 3. The guidance write-up and finalization
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jul 2019 20:59:13 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1632288</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Bridge-stream network assessment to identify sensitive structural, hydraulic and landscape parameters for planning flood mitigation (4.4)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1590604</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Bridge rehabilitation or new bridge design is often performed as needed for individual bridges without much consideration for how the change affects other bridges, properties, roads, etc. This is often a concern raised by stakeholders when they hear about planned changes in their river corridor. This project will develop an analysis method to understand how localized changes at a given bridge, stream or road affect the entire river corridor. This will help transportation agencies in managing their bridge and stream assets for maintenance and capital planning for upgrades, and also address stakeholder concerns raised in response to planned alterations.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 2019 04:57:38 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1590604</guid>
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