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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
    <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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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>Rail Economic Contribution Study</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2784542</link>
      <description><![CDATA[North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Rail Division’s mission is the “…safe and efficient movement of people and goods on North Carolina’s railroads through freight, passenger and safety programs, supporting job creation and economic growth.” These objectives are integral in serving North Carolina’s citizens, visitors, and industries.

The project will seek to understand the economic contribution relating to the usage of the NC rail system. The final deliverables will include a profile of traffic data (freight and passenger) and economic contribution for each, based on passenger spending/economic benefit derived from their use of rail. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:13:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2784542</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Economic Contribution of the North Carolina Ferry System</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2781131</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The North Carolina Ferry Division operates vessels on routes along the eastern coast of North Carolina. The routes serve diverse populations, ranging from routes with substantial tourist/visitor customers to routes with primarily daily commuters. The Ferry Division is also responsible for operating a fleet of support vessels which perform marine maintenance and dredging activities. Additionally, the Ferry Division operates a shipyard for vessel repairs, located in Manns Harbor. A 2020 study (NCDOT RP 2018-11: Economic Contribution of the North Carolina Ferry System) estimated the economic contribution of the Ferry Division operations. An updated study is needed to fully describe the contribution of the Ferry Division on the local, regional, and state economy since the time of the previous study.
The project will seek to understand customer demand, customer characteristics, and the resulting economic contribution relating to usage of the NC ferry system. Additionally, this project will investigate the economic contribution of the operation of the ferry vessels, dredging activities, and the shipyard. Three essential data sets will be used to derive the economic contribution values: (1) surveys of passengers (conducted in this study), (2) traffic demand data (from the NC Ferry Division), and (3) operational and capital expenditures (from the NC Ferry Division). The research team also plans to use cell phone data to validate survey findings and acquire additional economic insights. The final deliverables will include a route profile of traffic data and economic contribution for each of the routes, based on passenger spending/economic benefit derived from their use of the ferry route and the operational and capital expenditure analysis of the system.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2026 14:56:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2781131</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Local Tax on Dyed Fuels: Possible Revenue and Implementation Strategies</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2689755</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In rural areas throughout the U.S., in addition to standard gasoline and diesel fuel, “dyed fuel” is also available for purchase. This type of fuel, which is typically 28 to 98 cents less expensive per gallon, is not taxed because it is supposed to be used only for vehicles that do not use the local road systems. However, many of these vehicles, such as farm and construction equipment used in areas (e.g. liquid manure spreaders, grain carts, feed trucks, combine harvesters, excavators, etc.…) are much heavier than the average personal vehicle, and often use secondary roads for moving such equipment. These vehicles damage the many rural paved and unpaved roads. As such, those who maintain these roads systems do not have sufficient financial resources to repair these ongoing damages due to this lack of income from taxes. There is therefore an opportunity to consider methods of applying a local fee structure on the use of dyed fuel, to help to recuperate the cost of maintaining secondary road systems. This research will focus on assessing, first, the current state of this challenge, including a literature review and survey of the use of dyed fuels. Next, interviews of stakeholders will seek to identify the state of the challenges associated with dyed fuel use and to assess the support and/or resistance to establishing an additional mechanism to recuperate funds. It will then propose possible methods to address this challenge, supported by financial and policy analysis on the impact of each. 

The idea for this proposal originated directly from county engineers, specifically personnel in Iowa drove the development of the initial idea of this proposed effort, which was further strongly supported by Arizona DOT personnel. These individuals are responsible for maintaining local transportation infrastructure. These conversations made it clear that especially rural counties have significant infrastructure maintenance costs that in many cases are greater than the available funds. The proposed work is specifically designed to evaluate the scope of these challenges, and work with stakeholders to identify solutions. The Iowa Highway Research Board has already voted to provide a full one-to-one match in support of this proposed effort. They have expressed clear support and enthusiasm for the project, noting that counties across Iowa—and likely many other states—stand to benefit from a structured evaluation of needs and practical mechanisms that work toward implementation pathways. This underscores strong confidence in potential impacts.  ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:18:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2689755</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Regional Approach to Pavement Design for Low-Volume Roads</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2691525</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Low-volume roads represent a significant portion of the U.S. transportation network, yet their design methods are not adequately calibrated to reflect the environmental, material, and policy conditions of the regions they serve. This project aims to enhance durability and extend the life of low-volume transportation infrastructure by refining pavement design methodologies to better account for regional variations in climate, soil behavior, and construction practices. Building on the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG), which is primarily calibrated for high-volume state routes, this research will address its limitations for rural applications where environmental stresses can dominate performance outcomes. 

The project will integrate insights from the NCHRP 01-59 mechanistic procedure to evaluate volume change effects and their impact on pavement roughness. By comparing existing local construction practices and material use in Arizona against MEPDG predictions, researchers will identify calibration needs and propose region-specific enhancements. These findings will directly support NCIT’s core focus of Improving Durability and Extending the Life of Transportation Infrastructure and align with the topical pillars of Infrastructure Durability & Resilience and Technology. 

The project will generate actionable, data-driven recommendations for improving pavement performance and optimizing maintenance strategies. Results will be disseminated through targeted outreach and education efforts for local governments, equipping them with tools to make informed, cost-effective infrastructure decisions. This work offers the potential to significantly reduce life cycle costs, minimize disruptions, and improve mobility across diverse environments and roadway systems. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:56:22 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2691525</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Cost Effectively Building Resilience into Freight Transportation Operations and
Capital/Infrastructure Investments</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2692316</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Resilience and disruption response have become part of our daily lexicon.  However, cost-effectively and continuously including resilience considerations in freight operations and infrastructure investments is still developing.  This research effort focuses on identifying the key steps that can be taken by regions to work resiliency from a supply chain perspective in planning and infrastructure investment efforts.  While approaches such as risk registers and “bow tie” analyses exist, many regions and organizations do not have a consistent understanding of how to incorporate resilience cost-effectively into existing programs in terms of freight operations and investments. The research will involve surveys, interviews, and case studies of effective practices involving supply chains and various forms of disruptive events. The large volume of existing resources will be noted and arranged in a format that makes them easily used by public agencies.  The result will be a document to assist public sector entities with considering and incorporating resilience into freight planning and infrastructure investments. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:39:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2692316</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of Acceptance Approaches for Balanced Mix Design in Asphalt
Pavements</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2696937</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The transition from traditional volumetric asphalt mix design to Balanced Mix Design (BMD) offers a significant opportunity to enhance asphalt pavement performance by integrating performance-based testing. While many state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are in various stages of BMD implementation, there remains significant variability in acceptance approaches. These range from volumetric-only checks to rigorous sublot testing for cracking and rutting parameters, creating inconsistencies in cost, performance reliability, and resource allocation.
This project will evaluate different acceptance approaches, quantifying the associated resource requirements (e.g., time, equipment, staff, training), assessing the impact on pavement performance, and developing cost-effective acceptance approach. By addressing inconsistencies in current acceptance approaches, this study will provide actionable recommendations for state agencies, contractors, and researchers. The expected outcomes include improved pavement durability, optimized resource allocation, and enhanced efficiency in Quality Assurance (QA) programs. Findings will contribute to policy recommendations that balance performance verification with resource constraints, ensuring long-term benefits for the state DOTs, the contractor, and the road users. The research will be widely disseminated through industry engagement, stakeholder meetings, and peer-reviewed publications, facilitating the adoption or further implementation of BMD by state DOTs.
The objectives of this project directly support NCIT’s focus on improving the durability and extending the life of transportation infrastructure.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:23:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2696937</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>AI-driven Tax Increment Financing: Revolutionizing Transportation
Infrastructure Funding</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2696939</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Local governments across the U.S. are facing significant challenges in funding critical transportation infrastructure improvements. While federal funding opportunities exist, communities often struggle with providing required matching funds for transportation projects. This requirement heightened the need for creative financing strategies, particularly value capture tools like Tax Increment Financing (TIF). TIF is a geographically targeted economic development tool that captures a portion of the increased property tax revenue generated by development spurred by public investments in infrastructure or other public assets and reallocates it to help finance those investments. This project introduces an innovative machine learning approach that combines advanced time series analysis with multi-factor economic modeling to generate 30-year property tax revenue forecasts. It will employ a hybrid model that integrates multiple data streams including historical land value trends, macroeconomic indicators, and planned development data. Building on TTI’s decade of expertise in TIF and value capture methodologies, this data-driven advanced AI model will enable local governments to make more informed decisions about infrastructure investments and expand the application of value capture strategies. The research aligns both Policy and Technology pillars of NCIT, leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance financial resource allocation decisions. By providing more reliable revenue predictions, this research will help reduce financial risks in infrastructure investments while promoting the broader adoption of value capture strategies. The project’s goal is to catalyze transportation infrastructure development, fostering improved mobility and economic growth across communities nationwide.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:17:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2696939</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Allocating Highway Expenses into a Smartphone-Based Per Mile Framework</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2696941</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research explores the public reaction to personalized highway cost allocation using smartphone-based mileage tracking, leveraging existing knowledge about fuel taxes rather than proposing new fees or taxes. With motor fuel tax revenue declining due to fuel-efficient and electric vehicles, transportation agencies seek sustainable funding models. Using the established GoCarma app within the Dallas/Fort Worth “Miles Matter” pilot, this proof-of-concept study integrates individualized smartphone travel data with corridor-specific financial expenditures. Participants receive simulated monthly invoices illustrating their personal highway usage costs relative to fuel taxes paid, resembling typical utility bills. Surveys will assess participants' reactions concerning transparency and perceived fairness of existing fuel taxes. Outcomes will provide insights into public acceptance of personalized cost reporting, contributing to policy discussions on fair infrastructure funding and transparency. This small-scale study will also lay groundwork for expanded research on broader transportation networks, inclusive of arterial and local roads, ultimately fostering improved transportation policy and funding strategies.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:13:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2696941</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Cost Recovery for New Entrant Aircraft Technologies</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2772541</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As new entrant aircraft technologies begin to emerge, airports face new questions regarding how to recover the costs associated with supporting these operations. Many airports currently recover a portion of their operating costs through fuel flowage fees, but alternative propulsion technologies, including electric, hydrogen, and hybrid aircraft, may require different cost recovery approaches. Airports also need to consider costs associated with infrastructure, charging or fueling systems, lease agreements, and other facilities and services needed to support these aircraft. Research is needed to identify practical and equitable approaches that airports can use to recover costs associated with supporting new entrant aircraft technologies as aircraft propulsion systems and related infrastructure needs evolve.

The objective of this research is to develop guidance on cost recovery approaches for new entrant aircraft technologies. The research should examine cost recovery mechanisms for alternative propulsion technologies, including electric, hydrogen, and hybrid aircraft, and address airport approaches to recovering costs associated with infrastructure, charging or fueling systems, lease agreements, facilities, and other services needed to support these aircraft. The resulting guidance should provide airports with practical approaches that can be adapted to different airport operating environments and emerging aircraft technologies.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:27:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2772541</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Conduct Economic Impact Assessment of Transit in Texas</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2767431</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The project will conduct a comprehensive economic impact and value analysis of transit agencies operating in state funded areas of Texas and key stakeholders deriving benefit from transit. This analysis will quantify how public transportation supports economic growth and contributes to employment, wages, and business activity across the state's diverse transit systems. To ensure full statewide representation, the assessment will include metro, urban, and rural transit agencies, allowing comparison of economic outcomes across different geographic and operational contexts. Equally important, the project will evaluate nontraditional, social, and environmental impacts of transit. These include access to healthcare, improved livability, environmental benefits, and other quality of life enhancements that reflect the broader value of transit to communities and key stakeholders including employers, educational institutions, veterans services, and healthcare providers. The work will build on the ongoing efforts at the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) to expand performance measures that capture a more complete picture of transit benefits. The project will also incorporate benefits experienced directly by riders, such as value of time savings, cost savings, and other user level advantages that contribute to the overall value of transit services. Finally, the project will assess correlations between ridership levels and observed economic impacts to help clarify how transit usage translates into economic outcomes. Together, these objectives provide a holistic evaluation of transit's economic value to Texas.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 11:25:19 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2767431</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Impact Study on Increasing Truck Permit Weight Limits: Infrastructure &amp; Economic Considerations</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2724819</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Oregon’s current weight restrictions (105,500 lbs.) for divisible loads are less than neighboring states like Idaho and Nevada, which permit up to 129,900 lbs. In response to industry requests for alignment with these states, Oregon Department of Transportation
(ODOT) needs a comprehensive impact assessment of what raising the weight limits will mean in terms of sustaining the current operational infrastructure its charged with maintaining. This study will evaluate infrastructure effects, highway safety, and maintenance costs, along with the implications for adaptation and community impacts. With neighboring states already designating heavier freight routes, increasing Oregon’s truck permit weight limits may support freight fleet electrification and promote regional integration of the shipping network while assessing the costs to maintain and manage this increased infrastructural burden that’s on ODOT’s horizon. This feasibility and impact study will assess selective extended weight designations in Oregon and survey existing programs nationwide while evaluating potential risks to structural integrity (pavement and bridges), traffic safety impacts, as well as community and environmental considerations. The findings will provide ODOT with data-driven insights to guide policy decisions. This study will also examine vehicle configurations and length factors necessary to maintain legal axle weights in Weight Tables 1 and 2 at a gross weight of 129,900 and determine if those lengths are consistent with the lengths allowed by the LCV (Longer Combination Vehicle) freeze in federal law.

(1) A comprehensive report containing recommendations to support an informed evaluation of increasing weight limits for divisible loads, including an infrastructure impact assessment detailing the effects of heavier loads on bridges, pavements, and highway safety, with a focus on high-frequency freight routes in Oregon. (2) An economic impact assessment will quantify the contributions of oversized freight to Oregon’s economy, balancing potential economic gains from increased freight capacity with the costs of infrastructure maintenance and safety considerations. (3) A strategic implementation plan will outline a phased approach to applying these findings, allowing ODOT to prioritize investments to engage communities and the public effectively.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:35:02 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2724819</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>Infrastructure Data System (IDS)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2696940</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Transportation data have been growing in volume, velocity, and variety, especially since the introduction of connected vehicle data, crowd-sourced data, and other recent technological advancements. While this is an enormous opportunity for transportation advancement, the challenge lies in translating these data into actionable information for analysts and decision-makers. Therefore, it is crucial to make these datasets easily accessible to industry professionals and decision-makers.
This project would establish the Infrastructure Data System (IDS), a robust data hub and information portal centered around various aspects of infrastructure and NCIT. IDS shall provide a one-stop shop solution for data and ad hoc- analysis needs by leveraging skills in building data systems, web-based tools, visualizations, and geographic information systems. This system could ultimately serve as a hub to host research results under NCIT and as a repository of data and information for researchers, analysts, and policymakers.
The IDS will ensure consistency by having one centralized location and will seamlessly integrate two key NCIT topical pillars: policy and technology. By leveraging advanced technology, the IDS will provide the tools and infrastructure needed to harness the power of data, driving innovation and enabling informed decision-making in the field of transportation. While the intent is to create an active data system, the lifespan of the application will be constrained due to limited funds. However, the results of this project will serve as a proof of concept, i.e. a stepping stone, for establishing a truly effective national-level system for NCIT.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 30 May 2026 12:16:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2696940</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Capital Investment, Financing, Flood Risk, and Transportation Safety in the MidAmerica Region
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2706033</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Transportation agencies in the MidAmerica region face increasing pressure to manage aging infrastructure under fiscal constraints while improving transportation safety. Rural highways, freight-intensive corridors, and aging bridges experience elevated crash severity, yet capital investment timing and financing decisions are rarely evaluated through a safety-risk lens.
This project develops an integrated empirical and probabilistic framework to quantify how capital investment timing, financing mechanisms, and flood-related hazards influence lifecycle transportation safety outcomes. The study constructs project- and asset-level datasets linking capital programming records, delivery timelines, financing mechanisms, infrastructure characteristics, crash outcomes, and flood risk indicators. Econometric models estimate statistical relationships between investment timing and safety performance. Monte Carlo simulation propagates uncertainty in delivery delays, cost escalation, traffic growth, and flood exposure to produce distributions of lifecycle safety risk and cost. Results will support safety-oriented capital planning and risk-informed decision-making for transportation agencies in the MidAmerica region.

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 23 May 2026 17:36:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2706033</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Performance- and Cost-Based Framework to Evaluate the Value of Multimodal Logistics Infrastructure</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2703796</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project develops a practical, data-driven framework to evaluate the value of logistics infrastructure in a multimodal freight region. Focusing on the St. Louis metropolitan area, the framework integrates freight performance measurement with generalized logistics cost modeling to translate travel time, reliability, and terminal access improvements into economic outcomes. Methods include assembling a regional freight network representation, computing corridor-level travel time and variability metrics, and applying scenario-based valuation to estimate marginal benefits of targeted investments. The project also includes a private-sector truck–rail–barge use case to quantify multimodal tradeoffs and assess the competitiveness of inland waterway transportation under alternative infrastructure scenarios. The resulting workflow provides agencies and regional partners with transparent, repeatable methods to support freight investment prioritization and decision-making.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2026 11:52:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2703796</guid>
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